Tony and the Red Dog
by LAG0802
Summary: Tony has been treated as an outsider on the team for a while, a decision by Gibbs puts his life in danger. Tony's rescue comes from an unexpected source. Tony faces critical decisions about his future and his relationship with Gibbs. (M/M, Slash, nothing graphic, some swearing)
1. Chapter 1

**I wish I owned NCIS and all the characters but only get to take them out to play.**

**I do not profit in any way from this story except for the joy of writing and sharing.**

**To all who post and read these stories, a heartfelt ****thank you. It is a commitment of time and love to take time to write some of the amazing stories I have read and equal time and commitment to read and review.**

**I hope you enjoy, this is my first chapter story and the longest to date. I have it about 2/3 written so I should be able to post on a regular basis. I know it is a premise that has been written before but I hope you enjoy. Its ok if you don't like, just leave it behind and move on.**

**Thank you, LAG00802**

**Tony and The Red Dog.**

_**Chapter 1**_

The brisk day had turned down right cold, the clouds had moved in and a light snowfall had started to whiten the ground. Tony stood with his hands buried deep in his pockets for warmth. He had on his NCIS jacket, baseball cap and his leather gloves. While he might be comfortable running between the building at the Navy Yard and his car, none of what he had on was sufficient to keep him warm for hours on a cold Virginia day, especially as the first snow of the season fell all about him.

Tony watched the Sheriffs drive away, with a gloved hand he rubbed his face then ran his hand over his hair to brush off the snow before putting his cap back on.

With a deep sigh he turned back to his task. Looking around he felt a lonely ache in his heart. It was a long time since he could say that he loved his job and felt that he was part of the team.

There was a time when he felt appreciated and respected at NCIS. Tony had thought that leaving Baltimore and coming to work with Gibbs was one of the best decisions of his life. Gibbs' way could be harsh and he demanded everything Tony had to give and then more, but Tony thrived and had risen to the challenge. Tony remembered how excited he had been when Gibbs had finally acknowledged him as Senior Field Agent.

It was hard to imagine things had changed so much; that he now found himself standing alone in the middle of a forest with the snow falling about him.

Tony thought back over the past years, his relationship with the team had started to change when Gibbs took off to Mexico and they never seemed to get back in sync when he returned but then Tony had been keeping his undercover op. hidden from the team.

Maybe things would have worked themselves out if he had not, so royally messed up the protection detail for Director Sheppard. Tony knew he would never stop blaming himself for what happened, even if she was looking for a way to die that did not involve a long protracted illness.

Tony had been back from his stint as agent afloat since mid September and it was now early December and he still felt as an outsider on the team.

Tony thought that Gibbs had seemed initially happy to get him back but that did not last long as Gibbs and the team questioned everything he did and relegated him to do all the tasks no one wanted and normally assigned to junior agents.

Tim had gotten a taste of power being the "Boss" in Cybercrimes Unit and he was not willing to go back to Probie status.

After months back in Israel, Ziva had come back with her over confident, "I can kill you with a paper clip" Ninja attitude. She seemed to go out of her way to make him look weak by trying to always do things one better then him.

With a little huff, Tony decided he needed to go back to work if he was ever going to get out of here before it got dark.

The team had been called out shortly after arriving to work this morning to the section of Shenandoah National Park near Harrisonburg, VA, about a 2-hour drive southeast of Washington, D.C. Two young hikers had found the body of a Marine lying, just off the trail in the park.

Tony and Tim had driven in the emergency response van to the crime scene, Gibbs telling Tim to drive, this had been part of the continued punishment, Tony was always relegated to passenger or backseat. If in the van with the team, Gibbs had him ride in the back.

Gibbs and Ziva had driven in the Charger. Ducky and Jimmy arrived well behind the others in the Medical Examiner van.

The body had been identified as that of 35 year old, Marine Warrant Officer Thomas Spencer, station at Quantico, VA. The Marines, Warrant Officer Training School was based in Quantico.

After securing the site, searching the area for any evidence, sketching and photographing the scene, Gibbs and Ziva had left with the black agency charger to go to Quantico to talk to the victim's commanding officer.

Tim had ridden back with Ducky and Jimmy after Ducky had deemed the body ready for transport. Gibbs had wanted Tim to start the background check on the victim. Tim had also taken all the collected evidence that was bagged and tagged and Tony had been left with the van. At least he would get to drive back.

Tony had been ordered to continue searching for the murder weapon and any evidence they may have missed before a blanket of snow covered the area. Even though a white pop up tent had been secured over the site where the body was located, Tony knew that with the impending snow storm the tent would not stay up for long.

Two officers from the County Sheriffs department had remained with Tony, to assist with the search. The area was hilly and heavily wooded. Even though the trees had dropped their leaves, the branches and twigs of the undergrowth impeded their progress. Working in ever growing concentric circles the three of them worked out from the location of the body. The trio was searching for a long sharp object, as it appeared the Warrant Officer had been stabbed several times. The blood splatter, position of the body and blood soaked ground, found under the victim had lead to the conclusion that this was the murder site.

Tony had expected to leave the area with the sheriffs, but within an hour they had been called to a multi vehicle accident on highway, I-81. Tony had contacted Gibbs, as he had not yet reached the outer perimeter set by the Team Leader. Gibbs had instructed him to continue the search to the established perimeter, while there was still a couple of hours of day light, then he could return to the office with the remainder of the collected evidence.

The sheriffs were not happy leaving Tony alone at the site, but as a young police officer he'd on occasion been left alone guarding over a crime scene. He assured them that he would be fine. The Sheriffs indicated they would advise their commander and send a patrol out later to check on him.

Tony had been digging about some deep underbrush when he came upon what appeared to be the murder weapon, already partially covered in snow with the tip imbedded in the ground he found an 6 inch Buck knife with a black phenolic handle.

Tony became engrossed in his job, carefully documenting the location and position of the knife. After he carefully removed it and placed in an evidence bag. Pulling out his cell phone, he was surprised to see it was about 4:00pm and he had less then an hour of daylight.

Hitting 1 on his speed dial Tony called Gibbs. Gibbs answered with, "What you got DiNozzo"

"Boss, I found a knife in some underbrush at the edge of the perimeter, I didn't find anything else in the area and the snow is falling pretty hard now", a strong gust of wind roaring threw the trees drowned out Gibbs response.

Tony now yelled in to the phone, "Boss the weather here is getting bad and there isn't much daylight left, do you want me to come back"

Gibbs not giving much thought to the storm blowing in the background as his SFA struggled to make himself heard over the wind, Gibbs said with an irritated tone to his voice "Wrap it up and get that knife back here," with that Tony heard the click as Gibbs hung up on him.

Tucking the phone in his coat pocket, Tony was glad to put his gloves back on, if he thought it had been cold before, it was freezing out here now. The sun was quickly setting and the wind was gusting fiercely.

Tony looked up at the trees whipped around by the wind he did not want to be here any longer then he had to be. Picking up the evidence bag with the knife in it, he started to work his way back to the van. Opening the back door, he quickly stored the knife, camera and other equipment. Realizing he had forgotten the tent covering the site where the body was found, he slammed the door shut and quickly walked around the van.

Tony saw that the tent had blown over and was lodged against some trees, hurrying over he grabbed it by one leg and pulled it back, hoping he would be able to get it closed as the winds picked up. For a moment he thought of leaving it, but Director Vance would probably make him pay for it. Vance had replaced Jenny Sheppard as Directory of NCIS and he was responsible for Tony spending 4 months as agent afloat. Since coming back Vance had made it pretty clear to Tony that he was not the type of agent he wanted for the agency.

Tony was able to get the tent closed in about 15 minutes but his hands and fingers where now frozen as he had had to remove his gloves to get the damn thing closed.

Tony was shivering and exhausted from the cold, he wanted nothing more then to get back take a warm shower and crawl into a warm bed. He realized he should have started the van before getting the tent so it would have been warm inside. His stomach grumbled with hunger but Tony figured he could eat a power bar from his pack on the way back. Tony doubted he would be going anywhere near a warm bed tonight as he was sure Gibbs would want him to write his report and continue working on the case.

With the folded tent cradled in his arms, Tony headed back to the van for the last time, putting his head down to keep his cap from blowing away, Tony struggled against the increasing wind. About 10 feet from the van, Tony heard a loud cracking sound, before he had chance to react, he was knocked to the ground, his body falling heavily on the folded tent and he found himself pinned under a large branch as the world faded around him.


	2. Part 2

**A/N**: **I am amazed and honored by the number of hits on this story, for all of you who have taken the time to review, add to your list of favorite stories and list of stories you are following. I work in a job that at time can be very stressful, overwhelmingly sad but always rewarding. Reading fanfic and now writing my own stories has become a fun outlet for me. Sometimes you just need to escape real life.**

**I thank my wife for taking the time to proofread, though every time I look over this story I find that I missed one or two, so I apologize of any errors. **

**I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing.**

**LAG**

**Tony and the Red Dog**

_**Chapter 2.**_

Gibbs stood in front of the big windows near the bullpen. Watching the swirling snow as the lights that lit the banks of the Anacostia River flicked on. He looked at his watch with irritation, Tony should be back in about an hour, but he was having a hard time ignoring his gut. Something about Tony alone out in the snow should not feel right to Gibbs, but when he thought of Tony, he still felt a burning rage. He had told Tony that he did not blame him for Jenny's death but since bringing Tony back from his time as Agent Afloat he had not been able to stand the sight of the man and had done everything to drive him away. In reality, Gibbs thought to himself, things between him and Tony had been strained since he had returned from Mexico, but these past several months he had become openly hostile towards the younger man.

As he stared out the window he could see the reflection of Ziva and McGee, his team working diligently, looking for leads in this case. When had he stopped thinking of Tony as part of his team? Behind him, Tony's desk stood empty.

With a deep sigh he turned and headed back into the bullpen.

"Set-rep!" he called out in a gruff voice.

McGee jumped up from his chair and grabbed the control for the plasma as Ziva came around her desk and stood next to him.

On the screen appeared a photo of their murder victim in full dress uniform.

McGee start, " Warrant Officer Thomas Spencer, was born in Portsmith, Maine. His parents Vivian and Henry Spencer still live in Portsmith and he has one brother who is two years older and lives in Norfolk, VA. WO Spencer enlisted in the marines right after graduating from high school in 1991, completed basic training at Paris Island, SC and has spent time at Camp Lejeune, NC and Camp Pendleton in CA. He also has been on a number of deployments of about 6 months each on a number of navel vessels in the pacific. "

McGee paused and looked over at Gibbs, Gibbs with an impatient, "Get on with it."

Ziva took this opportunity to jump in, " Performance reviews are all good and WO Spencer has moved up the stairs in rank."

Under his breath McGee mumbled, "Ladder not stairs."

Ziva, ignoring him continued, "WO Spencer had just completed the 13 week training program at Quantico and received his commission last Tuesday."

McGee jumped back in, "WO Spencer was on leave, following completion of his training and according to his Commanding Officer, he had received orders to go back to Pendleton and was scheduled to report on January 6."

Ziva again took the lead, "WO Spencer does not appear to have much of a personal life, he is single, was staying on base."

With a huff, Gibbs looks at Ziva and McGee, "Come on people, find me something we can use, so our victim was a boy scout, someone out there wanted him dead, dig deeper, think outside of the box!" With last statement he looked over at Tony's desk, Tony who always came up with the unexpected, who knew how to think outside the box, taking a deep breath, he yelled out as he headed to the elevator, "Going for coffee. Find me something we can use!"

Ziva and McGee, looked at each other then headed back to their desks, as they sat down they both glanced over at Tony's desk and then toward the window, when they looked back at each other Ziva mouth to Tim, "Where is he?"

Tim looked back and quietly he said, "any where but out there I hope" and as a deep sense of concern for his absent teammate over took him, he realized that he meant it.

_**Chapter 3.**_

As Tony became aware of his surroundings he found that he was trapped under a large branch. The initial blow had knocked him senseless; he did not think he had been out for very long. Tony tried to move but found that his left arm was pinned under the tent he had been holding. With his weight and the tree pinning him down he was unable to free his arm. Tony discovered that he was able to move his right arm, but had limited range of motion, as he was not able to lift his torso or turn his body as the branch kept him pinned in place.

Tony also tried to move his legs and while he was able to move his left leg, attempting to move his right leg elicited extreme pain from his thigh. As his right arm was free, he tried to reach back to feel his leg and was surprised to find blood on his hand. Feeling back along his leg, he felt for the injury but stopped when he encountered what felt like a piece of branch disappearing into his leg.

Tony put his head down and felt a sense of despair overtake him. So this is how his life would end, freezing to death, pinned under a tree alone in the forest.

Tony wondered if Gibbs and the team would even care or if they would only be upset because he delayed their getting the murder weapon.

A slight vibration near his left hip brought Tony out of his dark thoughts. Tony remembered the cell phone he had slipped into his coat pocket but it did him no good as he it was pinned under him and he could not reach it with his right arm.

Tony hoped that maybe, just maybe they would send someone out to look for him.


	3. Part 3

_A/n:_ Thank you again to all the of you who have taken the time to review and add to fav/follow lists.

I continue to be in awe over the respond to this story, the wonderful reviews and the number of people who added this to fav/follow lists.

To: NCIS fan - Guest review, the picture of the dog in the icon was my beautiful girl, she was a German Shepard, Siberian Husky, St. Bernard mix. We found her at our local Human Society and had 10 amazing years with her, sadly she passed away at the age of 13 to bladder cancer. I always wanted to include her in one of my stories.

_Tony put his head down and felt a sense of despair overtake him. So this is how his life would end, freezing to death, pinned under a tree alone in the forest. _

_Tony wondered if Gibbs and the team would even care or if they would only be upset because he delayed their getting the murder weapon. _

_A slight vibration near his left hip brought Tony out of his dark thoughts. Tony remembered the cell phone he had slipped into his coat pocket but it did him no good as he it was pinned under him and he could not reach it with his right arm. _

_Tony hoped that maybe, just maybe they would send someone out to look for him._

_**Chapter 4**_

Gibbs returned to the bullpen with a large coffee in his hand. Ziva and McGee looked up as he walked over to his seat, but quickly returned to their work.

Looking again Gibbs again looked at Tony's empty desk and the snow now falling heavily outside. "McGee, call Tony, get his ETA"

With an, "On it Boss" McGee hit speed dial #2 on his phone, Gibbs getting the top place of #1. McGee listened as the ring ended and the phone went to voice mail. Speaking into the phone he said, "Tony, Boss wants an ETA" and hung up. "Ha hum, Boss went to voice mail," McGee, told Gibbs.

"Track his phone McGee, I want to know where the hell he is," Gibbs responded.

McGee let his fingers fly in a too familiar pattern as he tracked Tony's cell, when the result came up, McGee looked a the time, it could not be correct as Tony should be half way back to DC by now. "Well, McGee you find him or not!" Gibbs called over.

"Ah, Boss, this says Tony is still at the crime scene, maybe he dropped his phone out there, I can run a trace on the truck, hum, if a, if you," he stumbled on his last words.

Gibbs gut was screaming to loud now to be ignored, "Ya think, McGee, find me DiNozzo!" Gibbs yelled.

_**Chapter 5**_

Tony felt the cold now to the core of his being. He had started to shiver and was hoping his leg would go numb as the wood impaled in his leg moved as his body shook with the cold. Tony knew he did not have much hope if he could not get himself back to the truck.

While the sky was still overcast and snow continued to fall, it would soon be pitch black out here, this far into the woods there were no light pollution to brighten the sky and tonight there would also be no moon and stars to reflect on the freshly fallen snow.

Tony wondered if he could reach his gun, not that he had any interest in hurting himself, but because if he was honest with himself, he was scared of what the night would bring.

Tony knew that there might be coyotes and he remembered reading an article in National Geographic on The Eastern Hybrid Coyote – Wolves, while waiting for Dr. Brad Pitt at one of his quarterly check ups, to make sure his lungs continued to function with the scaring that resulted after his bout with the plague. Tony was sure he had read that they could now be found in this area and trapped as he was he would be fair game for them. He knew there were also bears but with the cold they would probably be hibernating now.

Being trapped out here alone with the night approaching also reminded him of all those vampire/slasher movies he had watched over the years. Bad things always happened to people alone in the dark woods. Tony grew up in urban areas and was never really comfortable in the woods, especially now alone, with the snow falling and the wind whipping the trees, making it hard to hear and he could not move to see if something approached.

With his right hand he reached around and was able to touch his gun, he felt some relief. Now to see if he could get it out of the holster, carefully working his frozen fingers, he pulled it out and brought his hand up near his face so he could see it, for now he wanted his weapon as close as possible.

Tony did not remember the last time he had felt such despair and hopelessness, trapped and freezing, he knew that no matter how much it hurt he was going to have to get this large branch off. He counted on the cold weather to keep the blood flow to a minimum if he was able to dislodge himself from the piece in his leg until he could get the first aid kit in the van.

Closing his eyes he took a deep breath and he tried to bring his right arm and left leg up, trying to lift his body into a "crawling" type position so that he could try to shift the branch and work his way out from under, but the weight was to great and after a few seconds he dropped back down, with frustration he screamed and pounded the ground with his right arm.

A movement and sound coming from his left stopped his tantrum, he held his breath as he looked around wondering what he had heard, the light was so dim now that he could only make out faint shadows and at least the snow provided some contrast with the darkness of the trees. Thinking it was just the wind, he started to relax when he heard footsteps, looking around again he saw what appeared to be a large wolf coming out of the forest toward him. With a reddish orange color the animal looked like a red flame contrasted against the snow and encroaching shadows of the dimming light.

The animal came cautiously but did not seem threatening, the ears were up and it was wagging his tail, as it got closer, Tony could see it was a large dog, not a wolf, but he was still nervous as he wrapped his hand around his gun. A pack of wild dogs could be just as dangerous and he did not want to take any changes. Even one sick dog this size could be dangerous as Tony thought of the St. Bernard in the movie _Cujo_.

The dog stopped about 10 feet from him, and cocking his head from one side to the other it seemed to be studying him. Lifting his nose in the air, the dog took a whiff of a scent that seemed to catch its attention. Walking slowly toward him, the dog continued to sniff the air.

Tony thought of firing his gun into the air to scare it but for now he just watched. The dog was huge; Tony estimated he must weigh close to a hundred pounds. The dog reminded Tony of the Samoyed Husky type dog that was the mascot of the University of CT. Growing up in New England Tony had watched the team play and had even played against UConn when he was at Ohio State in March of 1992, during the 2nd round of the NCAA Southeastern Tournament. Ohio had won that game 78-55. That following fall his sports career was ended when his leg was broken during a football game against the University of Michigan. This dog had the same face, with a broad head and pointed ears, just reddish-orange not white. Tony wondered if maybe the dog was tame and had an owner near by.

As the dog took another step closer, Tony yelled, "stop!", the dog stopped in its tracks, than Tony yelled, "Sit!" and to his surprise the dog sat. Tony knew he could not hope this dog would be like Lassie and pull off some miracle rescue, but it was comforting not to feel so alone.

Tony watched as the dog made a slow circle around him, it looked as if the dog was trying to appraise the situation. After circling twice the dog laid down a few feet from him then slowly crawled to him. Tony lay still not wanting to scare the dog off.

When the dog was within reach, he started to sniff the air again and released a faint whimpering nose. Tony slowly reached out with his only free arm and placed his hand palm up in front of the dog. The dog stretched his head over and sniffed Tony's bloodstained glove covered fingers.

Creeping closer the dog positioned himself as close to Tony as the branch would allow, Tony reached over and ran his fingers through the thick fur. It was at this time that Tony noted that the dog had Amber colored eyes and there was a depth of intelligence in those eyes. If Tony had believed in such things he would say he was looking into the eyes of an old soul.

Closing his eyes again, Tony could feel some of the warmth radiating off the big dog. He wondered if he could somehow get the dog to help him move the branch. With careful movements he withdrew his hand back and as he had before, tried to push the branch off his back. This time he was able to get a few inches off the ground but he did not have the strength to move the branch. Plus the movement has sent a sharp pain down his leg that elicited a loud "argh" as he fell back down.

At the movement the big dog jumped up and moved away. Tony not wanting his only company to leave called out in a quiet voice, "Its ok, come back dog." To his surprise the dog came back and lay down next to him again. This time Tony reached over and was able to feel the dog's neck; looking for a collar he wasn't able to find one.

Tony knew he was running out of time the last bit of light was almost gone, he estimated he had lain there about 15-20 minutes, even though it felt like hours. He was so cold; his left arm stuck under his body and the tent was so numb it had no feeling left. Tony knew he was now in danger of frostbite and hypothermia.

This was all too much for him, if he was going to survive he need to figure a way out of this and whatever he did it would have to be very soon.

Tony thought about Gibbs, all those damn rules: Rule 1 never screw your partner and rule 15 always work as team. "Yeah right," Tony said to himself, if they still held true, then Gibbs would never have left him out here on his own. Maybe this had been Gibbs way of telling him he no longer saw Tony as his partner or even as part of the team.

As the realization of this hit, Tony felt a stabbing pain in his chest, for a short time after meeting Gibbs and coming to work at NCIS, he had felt he could rely on others for the first time in his life. Growing up with an alcoholic mother who died when he was 8 and a father who had no interest in raising a little boy on his own, Tony had learned young, to rely on himself. With Gibbs he had let his walls down, had learned to trust someone, but the result had been a let down. When he got out of this, Tony thought, it would be time, time to walk away.


	4. Part 4

**A/N**: **I am amazed and honored by the number of hits on this story, for all of you who have taken the time to review, add to your list of favorite stories and list of stories you are following. **

**I thank my wife for taking the time to proofread, though every time I look over this story I find that I missed one or two, so I apologize of any errors. **

**I wish I owned NCIS and all the great characters but alas just get to borrow them for a while. **

**My thoughts go out too all affected by the tornados this past week. I can't even imagine the level of loss for those impacted. **

**I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing.**

**LAG**

_As the realization of this hit, Tony felt a stabbing pain in his chest, for a short time after meeting Gibbs and coming to work at NCIS, he had felt he could rely on others for the first time in his life. Growing up with an alcoholic mother who died when he was 8 and a father who had no interest in raising a little boy on his own, Tony had learned young, to rely on himself. With Gibbs he had let his walls down, had learned to trust someone, but the end result had been a let down. When he got out of this, Tony thought, it would be time, time to walk away._

_**Chapter 6**_.

"Boss," McGee said as he stood up and clicked on the plasma to a weather map of the area near Harrisonburg, VA. "The GPS in the van and in Tony's cell both indicate he is still at the crime scene. The weather map shows that it is snowing heavily in that area, with strong wind gusts." Gibbs came around his desk and standing next to Tim pointed at the map about were Tony's location was indicated. "So what the hell is he still doing there, he should have been well on his way back?"

Ziva, from her desk called out, "I have the Sheriffs department on the line, the roads in that area are barely passable due to the storm and they did try to send a patrol back to check on him but a tree has come down at the turn off to the crime scene, if Tony is still there he won't be able to get out in the van."

"McGee!" yelled Gibbs, the case forgotten for now, "Call the park service see if they have anyone who can get to the site, Ziva does the Sheriff Department, have any equipment that can get in?"

Ziva turned back to her phone, while McGee pick up his to call the Park Rangers office.

"Gibbs," Ziva said getting her answers first, "The Sheriff Department does have four wheel drive vehicles but they said you would need snow mobiles and they don't have any available at this time. They have been searching for a couple of missing kids all day and it would take a couple of hours to move the equipment," pausing to take a deep breath she continues as Gibbs glared at her, "The Sheriff also said that the kids are priority as Tony has a warm shelter and we know were he is."

"Yeah, except its DiNozzo were talking about," Gibbs mumbled. "McGee how about the rangers?" he asked turning his attention on his other Agent.

"Hum, Boss, same answer, they have all their available staff looking for the kids," McGee replied as he hung up his phone.

"Find me some snow mobiles, NOW people!" Gibbs demanded.

Previously unnoticed by the team, Jimmy Palmer the ME assistant walked into the bullpen. He had come to give the preliminary report on WO Spencer, but had stopped when he heard that Tony maybe trapped by the snow back at the crime scene.

Noticing him for the first time Gibbs glared at him and said, "Not now Palmer."

With sweating palms, _damn but Gibbs always makes me nervous,_ Palmer thought as he tried to get his words out in a coherent fashion, "I, I think, I think I can help," he stammered.

"You can help by leaving!" Gibbs yelled.

"No!" Jimmy said raising his voice, Tony was his friend and he was not going to let Gibbs intimidate him out of helping, "I can help, I have two snow mobiles," he got out.

"You have what!" Gibbs exclaimed, getting up into Jimmy's face.

"I a, I have two snowmobiles, was going to go this weekend," Jimmy was able to squeak out.

"Where are they and how long will take you to get them ready," Gibbs breathed back in his face.

_**Chapter 7:**_

Night had finally arrived, leaving Tony in almost total darkness and covered now in a layer of snow. Fuego as Tony had come to think of his companion, as he was the color of flame and provided Tony with warmth, remained as close to his side as the branch allowed. Fuego had his face up close to Tony's and the warmth was welcome even if not enough to prevent the constant shivering. Tony knew that the real danger came when the shivering stopped.

Mustering his last reserves of energy Tony began what he knew would be his final attempt to free himself. As with his previous attempt, he was able to get the branch up a couple of inches. This time rather then move away, Fuego, crept in closer to Tony. Then to Tony's surprise Fuego pushed up. Tony felt the weight of the branch lift off his back. Tony took advantage, moving his left arm from out from under the trapped tent, his leg was still impaled and he did not know how much longer Fuego would be able to hold up the branch.

Taking the folded tent and setting it upright under the thick branch, with some difficulty as his left hand and arm were almost useless after having been pinned. Tony hoped it would support the weight of the branch long enough to get his leg free, the pain in his leg should have been unbearable by this point with all the movement, but between the adrenal rush of finally feeling he could get free and the numbing cold he hardly felt it. He knew the pain would come later, but if he was around to feel the pain then he would still be alive and had succeed in freeing himself.

With the branch supported by the tent, and his upper body free, Tony tried to figure out how to get his leg free, feeling for his belt knife, he wondered if it would be big enough to cut through the piece of branch in his leg. In the movies some crazy actor would take his gun and shoot the branch, but Tony knew that he would only end up shooting himself.

Working the knife free with some effort, Tony reached around and started sawing at the piece of wood in his leg, trying to cut where it came off the main trunk of the larger branch. Fuego moved away and now sat watching him. The cutting angle was awkward and Tony was cutting blind, as he could not turn his body enough to see behind him.

Stopping a moment to rest his arm, Tony was not sure how much progress he had made. Fuego stood up and walked over to Tony's leg, sniffing where the branch entered his leg. Suddenly Fuego started to chew on the branch, as there was enough room between Tony's leg and the main branch. After several minutes Tony felt the branch give, his leg was free. Fuego walked back over and nuzzled Tony's face.

Tony overwhelmed with relief grabbed Fuego and hugged him as best as he could. As he rubbed his hands over the big dog whispering, "Good boy, good boy." Working his way out from under the branch and slowly trying to stand, Tony felt dizzy and unsteady on his feet, Fuego stayed by his side offering silent support, "Come on big guy, lets go get warm."

Fortunately for Tony, he was not far from the van so that even in the darkness that surrounded him he was able to stumble his way back to it. Opening the driver side door, he signaled for Fuego to get in. The big dog was in the van with one big leap. Tony painfully pulled himself in to the front seat. The first aide kit was in the back but for now Tony just wanted to start the vehicle and get the heat on. Turning the van on he turned the heat on full, knowing it would take a few minutes to feel the warm air come out. Trying to keep pressure off of the back of his right leg, Tony knew he would not be able to drive himself out. Searching his pockets he pulled out his cell phone, but the storm must have affected reception, as he had no bars.

Looking at Fuego, he said, "Well looks as you and me are going to be stuck here a while longer." Knowing he would need to take care of his leg and get something to eat, he would have to get into the back of the van even if going back outside was the last thing he wanted to do.

Working his way around the van did not take long, but exhaustion and pain were setting in, also Tony could feel the blood running down the back of his leg. His left arm was almost useless and it appeared to be broken.

Fuego followed Tony into the back of the van, and sat watching as Tony grabbed the first aid kit and worked on his leg. Pain now radiated from the wound, infection was a concern but Tony knew he would need to leave the piece of wood in, removing it could cause more damage. Sitting on the floor next to Fuego, he wrapped it as tight as he could. Leaning back, Tony grabbed his pack off the floor, having brought it from the front of the van with him, pulling out a frozen bottle of water he set it aside to thaw. Tony located his power bars; to his surprise he found there were five in his pack. He knew there had only been one in there when they set out this morning. Jimmy, he thought, Jimmy must have snuck some more in. Opening two he ate one and gave one to Fuego who accepted it happily.

Grabbing one of the emergency blankets kept in the back he wrapped himself up and laid down as best he could. There was nothing he could do now about his other injuries and getting warm and resting was what he needed now. Fuego moved around him and lay down next to him placing his big head on Tony's stomach. Tony gave in to his exhaustion and fell asleep.


	5. Part 5

**A/N; A huge heartfelt thanks to everyone, who has read, reviewed, and fav/followed this story. I am in awe at the number of people, in the so many countries who have visited this story. **

**I apologize for any errors, they are all mine. My wife has been kind enough to proofread, but I constantly edit before I post and may have missed a few mistakes.**

**I wish I owned NCIS and all the characters but will have to live with a few borrowed moments here and there. I do not profit in any way from this story, except the joy I get from writing. **

**Again a big Abby hug and Kudos to all those amazing writers on this site, for all the time, energy, dedication and talent it takes to give us some truly wonderful stories and for all the readers, without you writing would not be nearly as much fun. LAG**

_Grabbing one of the emergency blankets kept in the back he wrapped himself up and laid down as best he could. There was nothing he could do now about his other injuries and getting warm and resting was what he needed now. Fuego moved around him and lay down next to him placing his big head on Tony's stomach. Tony gave in to his exhaustion and fell asleep._

_**Chapter 8**_

A caravan of SUV's, moved out of the Navy yard, Palmer had gone home and returned with his cousin's big four-wheel drive Suburban, towing a trailer with the two snowmobiles. Palmer and his cousin had planned on heading out this weekend to his Uncle's farm near New Market, VA, to take advantage of the fresh snow. With everything loaded and packed, ready to leave in the morning it had not taken Palmer long to get back to the Navy Yard. In the borrowed vehicle Gibbs was driving with Palmer and Ducky riding with him.

Ziva and Tim were following behind in an NCIS issued Dodge Durango SUV. Vance had assigned Balboa's team to aid with the current investigation; his team was on the way to Quantico to check out WO Spencer's housing and to complete the interviews on base.

The Northeast Sub-office in Portland, MA had sent out agents to tell Spencer's family of his death and to conduct interviews with his parents. The Norfolk, VA, office was going to inform and interview the brother.

At this time, the only focus of Gibbs team was getting to Tony. The normally two-hour drive was going to take double that time on the snow and ice-covered highways. An hour on the road and they had just passed the signs for Manassas.

Gibbs felt his frustration and guilt grow. When Tony had called to tell him the Sheriffs had to leave, he should have had Tony return to the office or he should have sent another team out to help him. His gut had been trying to tell him Tony was in trouble but he had ignored it, until to late.

His relationship with Tony had gotten out of control. There had been a time when they worked in prefect unison. Tony anticipated his needs and even when they worked as a two-man team in Tony's first two years at NCIS, they had the best closure rate in the agency.

Gibbs had found himself attracted to the younger man. Gibbs did not consider himself gay or bi but he was not opposed to a physical relationship with another man, it had to be the right situation with someone special. There had been a time when he considered Tony to be that special someone and Gibbs had even felt for the first time in his life the possibility of a real relationship with a man.

After the explosion, which resulted in his head injury, fifteen years of his life was erased and along with everything else, he had forgotten his feelings for Tony; had forgotten their special night.

After being framed for murder by Abby's assistant Chip, Tony had been more distraught then he had let on, seeking comfort, he had started to spend more time sitting on Gibbs basement stairs, watching him work on the boat and sharing Cowboy steaks and beer.

Gibbs saw the real Tony emerge, a Tony that was far more intelligent, vulnerable and less self-assured than he let on at work. When Tony and Ziva had been missing all day, at the docks, he had to fight the urge to wrap Tony in his arms and never let him go. But no, in an effort to hide his feelings he had joined with Ziva and McGee, teasing Tony about the missed dinner party. Only after seeing the look on Tony's face did he realize Tony had never been invited.

After the others had left, Gibbs had gone down to talk to Ducky and get an update on Tony's injuries. Ziva said it was just a scratch, but Gibbs had seen the way Tony held his arm, his face when he thought no one was looking and the little show he put on when Abby hugged him. Appearing to play up the injury was Tony's way of hiding how much he was hurting. He knew that drawing attention to it was the best way to conceal how serious it was, as they would all think he was playing it up and not pay too much attention to the injury itself. Sometimes the best way to hide was in plain sight.

Leaving work that night, Gibbs had picked up Tony's favorite Chinese takeout and had gone to Tony's apartment to check on him. Ducky had told him, Tony had been grazed by a bullet and had about 15 stitches in his arm. He wanted Tony on desk duty for the next two weeks and he needed to keep his arm in the sling for at least a week to keep the stress off the stitches. Tony had also been given a broad-spectrum antibiotic to take 2 times a day for 10 days, and he would need to change the bandage daily and keep the wound clean. Ducky was also concerned that Tony had been in the cold metal container all day, as the plague had left his lungs scared and more susceptible to infection. He had heard a slight wheeze, but otherwise his lungs were clear. Ducky had assured Gibbs that the antibiotic would help with that too and in addition Tony was to use his inhaler for the next month. Ducky planned on checking Tony daily for the next few days.

When Gibbs arrived at Tony's apartment with the food, Tony was in an Ohio State t-shirt and sweat pants. His hair was wet from a recent shower. On the counter a box of gauze pads and tape. Motioning for Tony to sit down at the counter stool, Gibbs careful examined the wound, gently running his hand on Tony's arm and then carefully wrapped it. Tony had not said a word.

When he finished, Gibbs had brought his hand to Tony's face. Cupping Tony's face with his hand, he leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. Tony did not pull away instead he reached his uninjured arm behind Gibbs head, gently holding Gibbs close. When the kiss was complete, rather than pull away they both stayed in position, resting their foreheads together. Tony whispered, "I have wanted that for so long."

Gibbs had responded, "Your mine now."

Gibbs had ended up spending the night at Tony's but it had not gone further than a few kisses. Steady cases in the following couple of months had not given Tony and Gibbs much free time, but they would get together as much as work allowed. While they had moved beyond kissing they had not fully consummated their relationship.

Tony had confessed to Gibbs that while working in Peoria, IL, he had been in a relationship with a man, it had ended amicably when Tony had moved to Philly and his lover had moved to San Francisco. Tony had told him that since then he had not been with another man. Not because of a lack of attraction and desire but because of fear of repercussions and discrimination. Police departments were not known as the most, gay friendly places, especially for a young cop starting out in the early 1990's.

All of this ended when Gibbs had lost his memory and left for Mexico. Gibbs memories had returned slowly, though he still has some gaps. Eventually, after his return, he remembered the times spent together, the imitate moments, the quiet nights, waking up together, exploring each other's bodies, the warmth of his kisses and the desire to finally connect with Tony in every way. Gibbs never revealed that these memories had returned, he felt too much time had passed, Tony seemed to have moved on and Gibbs decided not to bring it up; letting Tony think that he did not remember their past relationship.

Tony appeared to be in a new relationship and it seemed serious. Later he would be upset to learn that Tony had been working undercover for Jenny and had kept this information from him.

Gibbs never handled feelings well and as his past desire began to reemerge, he knew that he had begun to behave like a bastard toward Tony. Driving Tony away seemed to have become his goal. He was afraid of what he had felt for Tony before, was feeling for him now. Staying perpetually angry with the younger man was his way of denying his feelings.

Gibbs could only hope that they would find Tony ok, stuck but warm and safe in the van. Gibbs wanted to start fresh with Tony but he didn't know if he had gone to far, if Tony would forgive him and give him another chance.

With this on his mind, he drove through the falling snow, determined to get to Tony.

Ducky and Palmer stayed quiet. Palmer sat silently praying in the back seat. Gibbs driving was scary enough on a good day, but in this weather, towing the trailer, Palmer thought that maybe this was worse than riding the Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion, VA or the Kingda Ka at Six Flags in New Jersey. No one but Palmer knew Tony had a passion for riding roller coasters. He had gone with Tony twice, but after throwing up all over Tony on the Kingda Ka, Tony promised to never, ever let him get on another rollercoaster. Palmer's stomach had a similar feeling now, but he was not going to let anything stop him from getting to his friend.

Ducky had quite out of character remained silent, not because he had nothing to say but because there was too much to say and he knew that now was not the time.

He had watched the team tear Anthony down bit by bit and with Palmer, he had tried to support his young friend. He worried about the impact of the cold weather on Anthony and when they got him back and he was sure his friend was safe, he would then sit down and says his piece to this sham of a team.

In the Durango, McGee was feeling sick, he was not sure if it was from Ziva's driving as she kept up with Gibbs or the thought of Tony stuck by himself in the snow. Thinking back over the last year he wondered when his relationship with Tony had changed. He had been annoyed with Tony when he took over Gibbs position, but if he was honest with himself, Tony had been a good boss. Neither, he or Ziva had really given him a chance. Since then the distance had grown and he had taken a level of pleasure watching Gibbs come down hard on Tony. He knew that he and Ziva had even gleefully participated in putting Tony in his place. Tim hoped he would have a chance to repair his relationship with Tony. Tim was also glad that Abby was away at a forensics conference in San Diego for the week. Even though he did not think Abby and Tony hung out after work any more, Abby would have been a wreck if she knew Tony was stuck in this storm alone.

Ziva taking her eyes off the road for a moment glanced over at Tim. "Your worried about him too?" she asked.

"Yeah, Ziva I am," Tim answered, "I don't think we have been very fair to him lately" he continued.

Sighing deeply Ziva said, "No Tim, we have not."

Turning her attention back to the road, Ziva like Tim wondered if there still was time to repair the damage they had done.

_**Chapter 9**_

Tony woke with a start, for a moment he was confused, forgetting he was in the back of the van. Fuego was standing by the van door growling. Outside Tony heard the wind continue to blow as the gust died down, he heard the barking and yelping noises outside. Tony remembered the sound of coyotes from a trip to Arizona a few years ago. Here trapped in the van it sounded more ominous.

Wrapping the blanket tighter around him, Tony still felt like he was freezing, though the van was still running and heat was blasting. His leg was hurting and he felt feverish. Also his throat was sore and his chest felt tight. He had felt a cold coming on for the past few days but had tried to ignore the symptoms, hoping it would pass. In his bag he had his inhaler since the damage to his lungs, he now carried one with him all the time. Even Ducky kept a spare for him in his bag.

With a few loud barks of warning, Fuego came back to lie down next to Tony. Tony was thankful for the company. "Not sure what happens next," Tony told the big dog, ruffling the fur on the dog's head, he said, "but I'm glad you found me."

Looking at the dog, Tony continued his conversation, "I guess you have your own story of how you ended up out here, ha big guy. Did you get lost or did someone abandon you too?"

Looking up at Tony with sorrowfully eyes, Fuego snuggled in closer, resting his big head on Tony's chest. "Yeah, I know what that feels like, everybody leaves me too." Tony continues with a deep sadness in his voice, "first my mother dies, then my father doesn't want me, fiancé leaves me, partners betray me," feeling his breath hitch as he fought back tears, Tony hugged the big dog closer. "I don't know what is going to happen, but I promise you big guy, I will find your family and if you have none, I won't just leave you," Tony said as he kissed the big dog on the head.

Tony wasn't sure why he felt so connected and comfortable with this dog, in the past he did not seem to get along with them, as if sensing his discomfort most dogs took an instant dislike to him. This dog, coming out of nowhere had saved his life and stayed by him. As he doused off again he held on tight, as the dog had become his lifeline.

Falling into a restless sleep, Tony dreamed the he was still trapped under that branch but instead of Fuego coming out of the forest, it was Gibbs, moving the branch off him, Gibbs pulled him into a hug and gently kissed him, then with strength only found in a dream, Gibbs slipped one hand under his arms and the other under his knees and picked him up, carrying him back to a cabin, set back in the woods. Laying Tony down on a bed covered in warm blankets, he slowly undressed him and tended his wound. Then he crawled in next to Tony and gathered him in his arms and held him. Tony felt warm and safe; he never wanted this feeling to end. Turning to look at Gibbs, Tony whispered, "Don't leave me again."

Gibbs responded, "Never, your mine."

Tony woke up with a cough and struggling to catch his breath. His face wet with tears; he knew he had cried in his sleep. It was all a dream, Gibbs had not come to save him.

Maybe at one time in the past there could have been something between them, for a short time before Gibbs lost his memory and left for Mexico, they had come so close. Tony remembered what it had felt like to be held by Gibbs, the feel of his lips on his. But he also knew what it felt like to have that all torn away, to be left. Since Gibbs had returned he gave no indication of remembering what had occurred between them or maybe he did and regretted it. Tony was not sure; all he knew was that now Gibbs did not want to be near him and was working hard to drive him away.

Feeling sick, weak and vulnerable, his walls stripped away by the cold, pain and intense loneliness. Tony started to wipe the tears from his cheeks; Fuego still by his side, reached over and with a big wet tongue licked Tony's tear streaked face.

Tony moved to get into a sitting position, the movement, caused an explosion of pain in various areas of his tired, beaten body. With a grimace he tried to find a less painful position for his leg. Tony noted that his left wrist had swollen up and it was difficult to move his forearm and hand, it had been so cold and numb when he first got to the van he had not noticed the injury. Tony knew his left shoulder and back would have a number of colorful contusions where the branch had hit him, but he did not think he had any serious injuries beside his leg and wrist.

The movement brought on another bout of coughing, which left Tony feeling short of breath. "Damn!" Tony exclaimed as he reached for his pack, pulling out his albuterol inhaler, he shook it twice, pumped twice in the air to prime it: then inhaled two doses of the medication.

Looking at his watch, Tony was surprised that he had actually slept for about two hours. If he had not gotten stuck here, he should have been back to the Navy Yard by now. He wondered how long it would take them to realize he was missing and if they would even come looking. Pulling his cell out of his pocket, he noted that he still did not have any bars. "Ready for another snack," Tony said to the big dog as he pulled out another power bar, splitting it in half he shared. Finishing his in a matter of seconds the dog just sat and watched Tony eat his. Tony then looked around for something in reach that he could use as water bowl.

_**Chapter 10**_

As Gibbs approached the turn off to the access road leading to the area they had left Tony, he noted the time, it was now going midnight, it had taken them about 5 hours to make the normally 2 hour trip. An accident out of Front Royal had them backed up for a while, then the SUV that Tim and Ziva were in slid off the road on an icy patch. No one was injured and the SUV was not damaged but getting the vehicle back on the road was another delay.

About, 100 feet down the access road, Gibbs stopped the SUV; they would not be able to proceed further, in front of him a large oak tree had come down. The tree must have been very tall as in the headlights, only a part it was visible. To each side of the illuminated area the trunk of the tree extended into the darkness.

Gibbs had hoped to find Tony sitting in the NCIS van on the other side of the downed tree. It worried him that Tony was still at the crime scene, if Tony had left the area shortly after they had last spoken, the accumulation of snow should not have been sufficient to prevent the van from getting to this point. If the tree had come down before Tony had tried to leave, then he would not have been able to maneuver the van around the tree, the forest was too dense on either side of the road but he should have been waiting on the other side. The tree would have to be cut and moved to get the van out. A crew with chain saws would come back at daily light.

Getting out of the SUV into the blowing snow, Gibbs was also grateful that they did not find the van under the tree, he could not help wonder what had happened to keep Tony at that crime scene and why had he made no attempt to get out.

Gibbs looked up as the other's approached. "Jimmy," he called out, "work with McGee, get those snow mobiles ready."

"Ok," McGee and Jimmy said in unison as they turned and headed for the trailer holding the two snowmobiles.

"Ducky, no sense in you getting wet and cold, why don't you wait in the truck." Not waiting for a response, he looked over at Ziva, "Come on, we are going to scout this area and find the best way to get around this damn tree."

The Red Oak was massive, as they maneuvered their way around, the tree had to be close to 90 feet. Gibbs and Ziva had walked to the left of the road, about 40 feet in they reached the base of the tree, the tree had been completely uprooted and the root-ball now stood high in the air, making their way carefully around, Gibbs felt that going this way on the snow mobiles would work just fine, the land here was fairly level and the snow mobiles, agile enough to clear the area around the big hole left by the root-ball by getting around the trees and other obstacles. Gibbs did not think it was worth wasting time going around to the other side of the tree, he had already concluded that with the size of this tree it would probably take them longer to get around the crown. With all the downed branches it would be a more difficult path.

"Let's head back to the truck and see if they got the snow mobiles ready," Gibbs said to Ziva. With the wind whipping the trees around them and snow continuing to fall he started to walk back; neither of them had spoken as they had scouted the area.

"Gibbs," Ziva called out, "Do you think he is Ok?"

"I hope so," Gibbs said with an uncharacteristic sadness to his voice.

"Me too Gibbs, me too." Ziva softly stated as she looked down not able to look Gibbs in the face, as she added, "Tim and I have been hard on him lately, we all have," she said looking up to face Gibbs, "We want the chance to apologize and to make it up to him."

"Yeah, I should have never left him out here like this."

"No, no you shouldn't have Gibbs, but we should not have been so happy to see him in trouble with you."

"No time for guilt, Ziva, let's go bring him home and then we can try to made amends," with that Gibbs walked hurriedly back to the trucks with Ziva keeping up behind.

As he trudged through the snow, Gibbs thought on what Ziva had said, he had let things get out of hand, Ziva and Tim and even Abby had followed his lead. As the Team Leader he set the tone, they had taken his hostility towards Tony to mean that Gibbs thought less of his senior agent, it had given them permission to be mean and petty. When Gibbs did nothing to stop it but continued his own campaign to get Tony to leave, the others had happily joined in, all to ready to move into Tony's spot.

When he came back from Mexico he had not remembered fully his past relationship with Tony, but he had become annoyed with his second in command when he found Tony, giving commands to the team, it did not take long for Gibbs to put him in his place. Then to find out Tony had kept secret his undercover work for the Director, it was no wonder Tony had appeared so tired and always seemed to be running off, Gibbs thought it was a lack of dedication to the job. The last straw was when Tony and Ziva failed to protect Jenny, it didn't matter that she had sent them away and they obeyed her orders, they should have known better. Gibbs had been relieved when the new Director, Leon Vance, had sent Tony away. If they had not had that joint case together Tony might still be out on that ship, as he had done very little to get Tony back.

Gibbs knew that Tim thought that he was smarter and better than Tony because he thought he had more education. Vance had made it clear that Tim was the agent of the future and Tony the agent of the past for NCIS.

Ziva took every opportunity to show Tony up with her advanced training in hand to hand combat and other skills she had learned in Mossad. Gibbs also knew that Ziva felt that he owed her for saving his life when she killed Ari; that she had proved her loyalty to him and that should place her above Tony when he needed someone at his side.

Abby had also played a part in all of this, she would never admit that she was jealous of Tony, but she saw herself as his favorite and had never been happy when he had started to spend time outside of work with Tony. When it appeared that he was upset and angry with Tony, Abby had assumed it was Tony's fault, she did not like to see her Silver Fox upset and had on several occasions confronted Tony, asking what he had done to get Gibbs so angry. Gibbs thought back on the time he had walked into the lab to find Abby yelling at Tony, telling him to "fix it", that she was not happy that Gibbs was upset and Tony must have done something. Tony just stood there, not saying anything, when he saw Gibbs enter, he said to Abby, "Yeah, I'd like to know too." glaring at Gibbs as he said this, then turned and left. Since that incident, Tony only spoke to Abby when he had to and only on work related issues.

Gibbs had been happy to let them treat Tony like he was an incompetent fool. He knew Tony was anything but. Tony may have liked to joke around, bringing some laughter to what was otherwise a difficult job and defecting Gibbs anger from the other team members. Gibbs knew that Tony was good at his job, very good, he made intuitive leaps of logic, seeing connections no else saw. It was this ability to view things differently that had helped keep their case closure rates so high. Gibbs wondered what Tim and Ziva would do when they found out that Tony had dual degrees from the University of Maryland, a Master's degree in Criminal Justice with a Doctor of Jurisprudence. Gibbs remembered how shocked he had been when Tony had shown him his diploma and when he had passed the Bar in D.C and VA. Tony had been halfway though the program when Gibbs had recruited him from Baltimore and had completed his degrees after working with Gibbs for three years. Two of those years they had been a two-man team, with many long days, yet Tony had maintained a 4.0 GPA in all of his classes. Tony had insisted on keeping his advanced degrees private, happy to let the others think he only had a BA in Physical Education from Ohio State. For all their smarts, Tim, Ziva and Abby had never seen the real Tony and even though she had prepared a dossier on the team, Ziva had never uncovered anything Tony had wanted to keep hidden. Tim would be surprised to know just how good Tony was with computers.

So deep in thought it was the sensation of falling that brought Gibbs back to reality, finding himself on his knees in the snow after tripping on something unseen. Ziva rushed to his side. "You all right," she asked as she reached to grab his arm to help him up.

"Back off Ziva!" he exclaimed. "I'm fine," he stated as he got up and brushed the snow off his pants.

They were close to the access road; Gibbs and Ziva heard the roar of the snowmobiles. Picking up the pace, and focused on where he was going this time, they were back to the SUV's quickly.

Jimmy Palmer walked up to Gibbs, out here he seemed more confident, "Snow mobiles are set, I loaded a first aid kit, dry clothes, coat and boots for Tony, we are going to have to get him back here and I know the clothes he had on today are not enough to keep him warm and dry. I am going to drive one snow mobile, Ducky is going to stay here and you decide who is going with me, two of you can ride the other one. I have also attached a sled on the back of my snow mobile, if Tony can't sit for any reason we can strap him in, to get him here."

Reaching into his pocket Palmer pulled out a small yellow Walkie-Talkie, handing it to Gibbs he said, "here take this, I have one and Ducky has one, cell reception out here is not good and this way we can keep in touch."

Gibbs stood speechless, who had replaced the bumbling Jimmy Palmer with this confident, efficient version. "Sounds as if you got this set," he said, "Good job," he added as an after thought as he turned to look at Tim, Ziva and Ducky who waited for his next command.

"We can get around the tree going that way," he pointed to the direction he and Ziva had checked out, "Duck, you stay here with Ziva, Tim you ride with me, Jimmy how long do you think it will take to get there?"

"Ahm, we were about 2 miles down this road, if there are no other downed trees and Tony is where we left him then we should be there in about 20 minutes or maybe less," he said as he looked at Gibbs and remembering the way he drove he quickly added, "Agent Gibbs, I know you are going to want to push the sleds as fast as they will go, but we need to go safely, we don't know what is out there and coming up on a downed tree at a high-speed would be reckless" he said swallowing hard as Gibbs stared back at him.

"Ok Jimmy you take the lead but don't get us lost," Gibbs said, turning to Tim he asked, "You set to go."

"Yeah Boss, I'm ready," the young Agent stated.

"Ziva, take care of Ducky," patting her shoulder he said, "We'll bring him back."


	6. Part 6

_**A/N: Again a huge Abby hug to all of you who have read, reviewed, are following and added to list of **_**_favorites. I am still in awe at the number of hits on this story._**

**_I hope you are all getting nice weather, today warmest day this spring in southern New England, complete with thunder. Great to spend time outside, though working in the yard does take time away from reading and writing._**

**_I wish I owned the show and the characters but I am thankful for the time I get to play with them._**

_**Chapter 11**_

Tony sat huddled with his new friend by his side. He had long ago given up trying to find a comfortable position, his body was in full protest, his head was pounding, his stomach threatening to bring up what little he had eaten over the course of this miserable day, his back and shoulder ached where the branch had hit him, his left arm was swollen and he had done his best to immobilize it, his right leg was on fire and he was pretty sure that infection had set in, and what scared him the most was the cough that was now making a pretty regular appearance, and that hated feeling of having an elephant sitting on his chest every time he wanted to take a breath. The chills that signaled an increasing fever were just the icing on the cake. Normally he avoided hospitals at all costs but now he could not think of any other place he would rather be, even if he were used like a pincushion, it would be nice to be in a warm bed and pain-free. He had used his inhaler as often as he dared, but he knew that at this point he really needed stronger medications and a nebulizer treatment. An oxygen tank would be welcome.

The big dog gave him some warmth and comfort, with his right hand Tony stroked the soft fur, realizing he had never checked for a collar. The dog had so much fur and it was thick enough around his neck to hide a collar. Feeling around, Tony found nothing, "Oh well big guy," Tony said in a breathless, husky voice, with all the coughing his throat now felt raw, "hope you have a microchip so I can find your family." With raspy voice, Tony continued, "Family, I thought I had found a family, but just like my real family they turned on me. I don't know dog, maybe it would have been better if I had stayed stuck under that branch."

Tony hated feeling so weak, Ziva and Tim thought he had grown up a rich spoiled kid, because his father had money, but nothing could be further from the truth. His mother had died when he was 8 years old. He knew she loved him but her drinking and mood swings were difficult for a child to understand. Sometimes she could be so warm and nurturing, and then there were the dark days when she would lock herself in her room for weeks. Tony would have to stay away from her when she was like this because any noise would set her into a rage.

Once, he snuck into her room, excited because he got gold stars on his homework. He just wanted to share this with her. When he entered the room she was lying on her bed, thinking she was asleep, he quietly went to stand by her side, "Mommy, Mommy please wake up, I wanted to show you something," he called out to her in the excited voice of a 6-year-old child.

When she opened her eyes and saw him, she leaped out of bed screaming "What the hell are you doing in here, why are you bothering me, get the hell out, you little bastard, you are just like your father, can't you leave me the hell alone!" Through this Tony stood shocked, he didn't know what to do, but he could feel his heart pounding and his eyes fill with tears. Looking at him with hate in her eyes, she picked up a large ashtray from the bedside table, Tony turned to run out of the room, the ashtray catching him on the back of the head, knocking him to the ground. Getting up as quickly as he could he ran to his room, crawling under his bed he just wanted to hide forever. His head hurt but not as much as his heart. He wanted to cry but continued to fight the tears, as he knew his father would not be happy to hear he was a "cry baby" because DiNozzo's don't cry was something his father was always telling him.

Tony did not know how long he had remained hidden under his bed, but Cook came to bring him some food as he had not come down to eat, she had found him under the bed. Seeing blood on the floor, she had gotten Carson the Butler and Ana one of the maids, to help her get him out from under the bed.

"Ay, mijito! ¿Que te paso?" Cook, had said in her native Spanish as she hugged him close to her ample bosom. It was from Cook; whose real name was Guadalupe Milagros Del Toro that Tony had learned to speak Spanish. Together the caring staff cleaned him up and bandaged his head. The ashtray had left a long gash where it hit him.

Ana put some cleaner on the bloodstain on the carpet, while Carson called the family doctor who came and put 8 stitches in his head and gave them instructions on caring for his concussion, then he went to check on his mother. The family doctor was well paid to make house calls and put aside any obligation he may have felt to report the numerous questionable injuries sustained by the small boy. It was three days before his mother came out of her room and the incident was never mentioned.

Tony's father had been away on a business trip during this time, then again he was always away. The few times he had taken Tony with him had been a disaster. His father was into Civil War reenactments and Tony remembered how excited he was to spend time with his father, he must have been about 7 yrs old, in retrospect, if was after the incident with the ashtray and Tony figured it was his way of keeping Tony away from his mother when she was in one of her "moods".

Tony had gotten a cool blue uniform, when they got to the camp in Petersburg VA. Tony had been able to run around with a few of the other boys, initially if was fun, the first night he had sat by the campfire with his father and he thought it was the best day in his life. The next day was the big event, some of the boys got drums and flags to carry, when his father handed him a bucket, Tony was not sure what he was supposed to do with it. His father explained that, when one of the men called him, he was to bring the bucket, they would fill it and Tony had to carry it back and dump it. What he neglected to tell Tony was that he was responsible for the "poop' bucket. Tony was horrified when the first man, had filled his bucket, and it had not gotten better from there, after running around all day, with everyone calling him "little Poop boy". He thought he would never get the smell out of his nose or his clothes, by the time they got to a hotel the next night his father made him take an extra long bath.

"See Fuego, guess my job is still to take everybody's shit," he told the dog in a soft voice. "Argh" escaped his lips as he felt every pain as a deep cough ripped through his body. Once he was able to catch his breath again he could hear the wind blowing outside but from his position he could not see out the windows. He hoped the local wildlife he had heard earlier was gone. Fuego was not on alert, lying quietly next to him.

Feeling a familiar discomfort in his lower abdomen, Tony knew as much as he did not want to, he was going to have to go outside to relieve himself. He had ignored the feeling for to long. After remembering the "poop boy" incident, he could not bring himself to go in a bucket. He figured the storm had driven the coyotes away, and with Fuego to alert him he felt safe going outside. Tony struggled to get to his feet, being upright brought with it, waves of coughing that left him breathless and dizzy. He wanted nothing more than to lie down, but the urgency was now to great. Fuego had gotten up with him and was standing by the back double doors of the van. Getting a flashlight, and pulling his coat tighter around himself, Tony limped to the door.

Easing the door open, he shone the flashlight around, the world was now covered in a blanket of white; even the trees had an eerie glow as the heavy wet snow coated everything. He climbed slowly out of the van, next to him Fuego easily leapt out. The cold air hitting his lungs took his breath away; he needed to get back to the warmth of the van as soon as possible. Looking around he noted that all the signs of the crime scene were long gone. Not wanting to go to far as the van provided light and security, Tony worked his way to the nearest stand of trees. Tucking the flashlight under his arm, he leaned against a tree for support. Tony took care of his business as quickly as he could; unzipping and zipping his pants had been difficult with his swollen left hand.

Looking around for Fuego he headed back to the van. Fuego was wandering around sniffing the snow. Watching the big dog squat he realized that the dog he had come to think of has a "he" was really a she. Suddenly her head popped up at attention, her face alert, ears twitching to catch a sound beyond Tony's hearing. Tony's felt as if his heart stopped when she let out a deep growl. Not having any time think about what was out there he started to reach for his gun. Before he could complete the motion, Tony felt something slam hard into him, knocking him face down in the snow. Intense pain flared in the back of his left shoulder as he felt something bite down hard. A scream escaped his lips, as teeth made contact with bone. Tony figured that this was really the end, when suddenly the weight was gone and he heard the awful sound of fighting dogs.

Fuego had come to his defense, attacking the coyote. Rolling over, Tony attempted to get his weapon free, with the pain coursing through his body it seemed like an eternity before he had his gun in his hand. Fuego and the coyote were a tangled mess; he could not risk shooting at the coyote for fear of hitting the big dog. Aiming high into the forest he fire off one round, hoping to scare the animal away. At the loud sound, the animals separated, but stood, with teeth bared growling at each other. Taking aim with his shaking hand, Tony fired again in the direction of the coyote. He missed the animal but it had the desired effect, as the animal turned and ran off.

Tony's knees buckled and he found himself kneeling in the snow. Fuego ran over to him and nuzzled him. Tony knew they had to get back to the truck before the coyote came back, he could also feel the blood from the fresh wound running down his back. He felt on the verge of passing out, even though another of his father's favorite mantras was "DiNozzo's do not pass out." Tony knew he was about to prove his father wrong but if he did not make it back to the van first he would die out here. A sense of self-preservation kicked in and painfully he got back on his feet and made it the short distance to the van, getting in was difficult, Fuego again completing the task with one graceful leap. With the doors safely secured Tony slid down as all the energy left his body. Pulling the blankets around him, he felt the darkness over take him, knowing that Fuego was safe at his side.


	7. Part 7

**A/N**: **I am overwhelmed, amazed and honored by the number of hits on this story, for all of you who have taken the time to review, add to your list of favorite stories and list of stories you are following, a big Abby Hug. I am also thrilled that there are readers worldwide; I love looking at the list of countries.**

**I thank my wife for taking the time to proofread, though I am constantly editing and may have missed few errors, so I apologize for any mistakes. **

**I wish I owned NCIS and all the great characters but alas I just get to borrow them for a while. **

**I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing.**

**LAG**

_**Chapter 12**_

Gibbs felt as time had stood still, the two-mile ride to the crime scene on the snowmobiles seemed to be taking an eternity, maybe it was his growing concern for Tony, his gut was now telling him that they would not find him warm, safe and uninjured in the truck. In reality he was scared of what they would find. Tim was hanging on tight behind him but he did not have to worry about Gibbs driving recklessly, Palmer was leading the way and with the strong lights of the snowmobiles, the access road had been easy to locate even with all the snow, while only about 10 inches had fallen the drifts were significantly deeper and the path had been littered with fallen branches of different sizes. The falling snow had almost stopped but the strong wind blowing the snow around made visibility limited.

Ziva and Ducky had stayed in the SUV; Tim had given them the satellite phone, he had anticipated that the storm would render the cell phones useless and had thought to bring one along. Gibbs had wanted to hold on to it, but Tim and Jimmy had argued that if Tony was injured, with the walkie-talkies, Jimmy could rely the information to Ducky and Ziva. The medical examiner could make a request for medical evacuation, better explaining any medical needs Tony may have and coordinate with emergency services, while waiting for their return. Gibbs had conceded, not wanting to waste time with petty arguments.

As the snowmobiles came over a rise in the road, the NCIS van came in to view, Gibbs could see that the headlights were on and it appeared the engine was running. The van was sitting in the deep snow. Bringing the vehicles to a stop next to the van Gibbs, Tim, and Jimmy dismounted. There was an eerie quiet to the area, even with the sound of the wind and the solitary engine running. Gibbs yelled out as loud as he could, "Tony, we're here, are you in there?"

The three men looked at each other in surprise when they heard a bark and growl from the back of the truck. "Tim go to the front of the van, see if you can look into the back," Gibbs ordered.

The van did not have an access door from the front to back but there was a small sliding window. Jimmy and Gibbs made their way to the back doors. Gibbs did not want to open the doors without knowing what he would find, but an angry dog was definitely one thing he could never have anticipated. Flashing his light around, he noted what appeared to be blood on the door handle; brushing snow off the bumper he found a corresponding red stain. Gibbs and Jimmy gave each other a knowing look, whatever happened out here it appeared that Tony had been hurt.

Hearing a crackle over the walkie-talkie, Gibbs heard Tim calling out, "Boss, boss, can you hear me?"

"What's happening in there?" He responded.

"I can see Tony, Boss but ah, ah, he is lying down on the floor, he hasn't responded to my calls."

"What about that dog we heard?" Gibbs was anxious to get to his senior field agent; the delay was almost unbearable.

"Its ah, ah, a big dog and its standing over Tony looking between me and the backdoor. Boss, it looks as if its guarding Tony."

"Damn, how are we going to get it out of there, can't risk hitting Tony if we try to shoot it."

Listening to the exchange, Palmer was trying to think of how to get the dog and Tony out safely.

"Let me have a look," stated Palmer as he started to walk to the front of the van.

"What do you think you can do?" Gibbs started to say; then he remembered that Palmer had worked as a veterinary assistant.

Following Palmer to the front of the van, he got there just as Tim and Palmer traded places. "Gibbs," Tim said as he took a deep breath, "Tony will be all right won't he."

"Yeah, Tim, I'm sure he will be, Tony is tough, he has a way of getting in trouble but he always bounces back."

"He does, doesn't he," Tim answered, nodding his head in agreement, then look back at Gibbs he added, "Boss you think we can fix things with him, Ziva and I," he stopped, drawing a deep breath before he continued, "Ziva and I, well we, we have not been very nice to Tony for a while, its time we tried to be friends again."

"I know Tim, we all have a lot to make up to him, bout time we all remembered that." Gibbs responded in a soft voice laced with guilt and sadness. "Lets see what Palmer is up to," he said as he turned his attention back to van. Opening the van door, he started to call out to Palmer, but stopped when he saw the young ME assistant, hold up his hand, to silence him. Gibbs watched as he turned his attention back to the window.

Palmer slowly reached in through the open window he spoke softly, in a calm voice to the dog. In his hand he held out a piece of protein bar, and tried to get the dogs attention.

"Its all right, big guy," Palmer said, "Tony is our friend. We just want to help him. Your going to let us get in to help him aren't you big guy." Waving his hand a little he added, "I got some food for you, come on you want this, come on, I'm not going to hurt you or Tony," Palmer said, trying to get the dog to come to him.

The big dog stood his ground and did not move from Tony's side. Putting his head down to reconsider his strategy, Palmer tried to think of all the ways to get the dog's attention. It seemed to him that the dog was protecting Tony. He did not want to see the dog hurt but they needed to get to Tony as soon as possible. Gibbs and Tim were watching from the open van door and Palmer was sure that soon Gibbs' patience would run out and he would want to shoot his way in.

Palmer was not ready to admit defeat; through this Tony had not moved, but now he started to cough, Palmer did not like the sound, as it was a wet cough followed by wheezing. Palmer wanted to check his friend and get him to the nearest hospital as soon as possible. Making another attempt he called out, "come on big guy, you must be hungry, I got a treat for you."

Tony thought he was dreaming, in his head he had heard Gibbs call to him and then Palmers voice, it had to be a dream as he was alone out here in the snow. His mind was fuzzy and he just wanted to curl up and drift back into the darkness but the voice of Jimmy Palmer would not go away. If they had come for him, why was Jimmy calling out for a dog? In his muddled brain he tried to make sense of what the Autopsy Gremlin was saying.

A deep cough brought him back to reality in a harsh way; with his eyes closed he listened to his own wheezy breathing. The voice of Jimmy Palmer sounded again in his ears calling out to the big dog. Tony now remember his savior, opening his eyes, he saw Jimmy looking in the divider window waving something in his hand at Fuego. He heard Jimmy say, "come on big guy, you hungry, I got a treat for you."

Closing his eyes again, Tony said, "He's a she Palmer, she," his voice was so weak that he was not sure Jimmy had heard him, but Fuego reacted instantly, turning back to him, she licked his face and started wagging her tail.

"Tony, Tony can you hear me?" yelled Jimmy from the window.

"Yeah, I can hear you, how did you get here?" Tony responded in a soft breathy voice.

"Tony, we came to find you," Gibbs said pushing Jimmy into the passenger seat.

"What the hell are you doing with a dog?" he asked gruffly.

"She saved me," Tony stated, without opening his eyes, he did not want to see the angry, disappointed face of his boss. Of course he was such a screw up the team had to come back to rescue him in the middle of a case and a snowstorm.

"We need to get in DiNozzo, ya think she will let us get in to help you?"

"She will Boss," he answered looking at Gibbs this time. "I hold her while you go around."

Tony struggled to sit up, God did he hurt, the bite in his shoulder seemed to have stopped bleeding but the pain radiated down his arm and across his back and went all the way through him. Once up he called Fuego to him and wrapped his arms around her, talking gently to her, to keep her calm as the back doors swung open and Gibbs peered in.

"Tony, we need her out here so Palmer has room to check you over," Gibbs said, his voice less gruff this time. Getting a good look at Tony in the van light, Gibbs could see how pale he was, pain etched in his face and his eyes were glassy with fever. Gibbs also took in the sight of the wet blood stained clothes and streaks of blood on the van floor and wall were Tony had been leaning. Gibbs wanted to know what happened to his agent, but questions would have to wait, first they needed to get him some medical attention, there would be time after that to hear the whole story.

Tony continuing to hold on to the dog, painfully he moved himself closer to the back door, and had the dog move between him and the front of the van. Once in position he called out for Jimmy come in. Fuego watched as Palmer entered but did not move. Once at Tony's side, Palmer set down the medical bag he was carrying. Gibbs started to climb in too but Tony held up his hand and said "No, just Jimmy," then started to cough.

Palmer gave Gibbs a knowing look, backing out Gibbs said, "Tim and I will stay up front, we can relay information to Ducky."

"Ducky here too?" Tony asked as he tried to catch his breath.

"Dr. Mallard and Ziva are waiting about two miles down the road, a tree blocked the way, but I can fill you in after I check you over, Tony I want you to honestly tell me where you are hurt," Jimmy said to his injured friend, giving him a knowing look, "I know you are having problems breathing, I heard you coughing before and I don't need the stethoscope to hear you wheezing."

"Branch fell on me, have piece of wood in the back of my thigh," then he held up his left arm, "kind of landed on my arm."

Jimmy maid mental notes of the injuries, he noted the blood on his arm "Where did is this blood from?" he asked as he pointed to Tony's shoulder.

"Got bitten by a coyote," Tony answered with a grimace, "Went outside to go."

"To go?" Jimmy responded with a questioning expression on his face.

"Yeah, you know, I had to go," Tony tried to explain without giving too much detail.

"Oh, ok," Jimmy's face lit up, as he finally understood what Tony was saying, "So what happened to your shoulder?"

"Coyote jumped me, took a chunk out of my shoulder, Fuego here, chased him off." he said as he hugged Fuego as best he could.

Jimmy shook his head in disbelief as he pull out a digital thermometer from his kit, "Don't know how you do it Tony, even in the middle of no where you get into deep shit," he said as he put the thermometer in Tony's mouth, at the same time he picked up Tony's good arm and checked his pulse. Pulling the thermometer, he noted the reading and pulse on a small pad he had with him.

"Well you have a fever 102.4 and your pulse is elevated," Jimmy completed taking Tony's vital signs with quiet efficiency, Tony watched the worried expression pass on his friends face as he took his blood pressure and the worry deepened as he listened to Tony's lungs. Putting on a pair of latex free gloves and pulling out some scissors, Jimmy indicated to Tony that it was time to check his wounds, having Tony sit forward he carefully pulled away and cut the material from the wound.

"Don't say it Tony, coats ruined anyways," Jimmy said in a joking voice when he saw Tony's expression at the sound of the scissors cutting into his expensive jacket and shirt. Getting a good look at the wound, Jimmy noted that the bleeding had stopped; the coyote had bitten hard into Tony's shoulder leaving deep puncture wounds and lacerations. The wounds were carefully cleaned and covered with gauze, Jimmy knew they would need a deeper cleaning but he could not do that here.

Moving next to the injured leg, he had Tony lay on his side as comfortably as he could. Again with care he cut the material away, an index finger size piece of wood was jutting out of a ragged wound in the back of Tony's thigh. Jimmy knew he would not be able to remove it, as it would need to be surgically removed. The red, hot skin around the wound was a concern, as it appeared that the area was getting infected. "Tony, you know I can't get this out." Tony nodded his head in agreement, "but I can wrap it up good, and I have some pain meds I can give you ok," Jimmy continued.

"Just do what you have too, but I don't want any meds." Tony responded, gritting his teeth against the pain of having his wounds cleaned and wrapped.

"Tony, we have a two-mile trip in a snow mobile, nothing I'm going to give you will make you loopy or put you out. With your breathing the way it is, you'll have to wait till you're at the hospital to get the good stuff," he answered giving his friend a small smile.

When Tony gave him a quizzical look, Jimmy said, "Yeah, the van isn't going anywhere tonight and the only way in and out are the snow mobiles, they belong to my cousin. I'll tell you all about when I have you warm and safe, Ok? "

In another ten minutes Jimmy had Tony's leg wrapped, and the left wrist splinted. While he was working he had relayed Tony's vitals and catalog of injuries to Tim, who communicated the information to Ducky via the walkie-talkie.

"Tony, I'm going to get the sled ready for you." Not waiting for a response, he moved to exit the van, the big dog had not left Tony's side but watched Jimmy intently as he examined Tony and wrapped his wounds. The dog seemed to understand they were not here to hurt Tony. Once outside, Jimmy met Gibbs and Tim by the snowmobiles.

Working quickly Jimmy was able to ensure Tony would have a safe ride back, comfort was the one thing he could do nothing about but would do his best to make it the least painful possible.

While Jimmy worked on the sled and McGee was on the walkie-talkie with Ducky, Gibbs went back to check on Tony.

Entering the back of the van he again noted how sick Tony appeared. "What are we going to do with your friend there?" Gibbs asked pointing to the dog.

Before he could get a word out, a bronchial spasm triggered an uncontrollable cough, hugging the dog tight. Tony buried his face in fur around his neck till he stopped.

Gibbs watched with concern until Tony was able to catch his breath. As his memories returned, he had this reoccurring vision of Tony lying in a fishbowl of a room with blue lights struggling to breath. The full memory of Tony fighting for his life after being infected with Y-Pestis by that crazy woman was something he would have been happy to never remember.

Tony's breathy answer brought him out of memory, "Not sure but I can't leave her here."

"She can spend the night in here, its warm enough and we will have a team out in the morning to retrieve the van."

"No!" Tony said trying to make his voice sound more forceful, "I said No! She saved me, more than once, I'm not leaving her." Tony tightened his grip on the dog; she had sensed his agitation and stood protectively next to him.

"All right, DiNozzo, we'll take her, but your going to need make arrangements for her," as he said this Gibbs realized how harsh that must have sounded to the injured man.

"Not a problem, she's my responsibility," Tony angrily responded.

Trying to change the subject Gibbs said, "When you called earlier you said you thought you had found the murder weapon, we can leave the van but I want to take all the evidence you collected back with us."

Tony pointed to the evidence locker, "Everything is the locker, bagged and tagged. The camera I was using is in there too, my sketch pad is my in bag."

Without any verbal response, Gibbs opened the combination lock and withdrew the box full of the items Tony collected, as he started to go through it, he said without looking back at Tony, "Tomorrow I expect a full report, I don't care if you are sick and in the hospital, we need to catch us a murderer."

Not able to come up with a quick retort, Tony just stared at Gibbs back, figures that he only came out here for the evidence, and just when he was starting to hope that maybe Gibbs still cared about him, even just a little. Sure Gibbs would get his damn report, and maybe just maybe it was time to turn in his resignation too. Over the last couple of years he had written them in his head over and over, but he had never been able to bring himself to actually put one on paper, but after this, he knew in his heart that he would never go back to MCRT to work under Gibbs.

As he looked at the knife Tony had found, Gibbs knew he had been an ass. Why did he always have to push Tony away, not wanting to leave things like this, he started to turn around to talk to the younger man, just as Palmer stuck his head back in, feeling the tension in the room, he said, "sleds ready, let's get Tony loaded."

The moment had passed and the need to get Tony out of here and to a hospital took precedence. Gibbs and Tim helped ease Tony out of the back on the van, each man carefully providing support as they slowly made their way through the snow to the sled. Jimmy had it positioned so that they did not have to go far, Jimmy had them lay Tony on his side so that they would not put pressure on his injured back or leg, the rolled up extra blankets were used to keep Tony in position for the duration of the ride back to the SUV. Jimmy had also brought a small oxygen tank, putting on the nasal cannula on a clearly unhappy Tony, Jimmy adjusted the flow, as he did this, Tony seemed to relax a little. Jimmy completed a final check making sure Tony was well covered against the freezing temperatures and chilling wind and secured on the sled.

Once settled in, Tony grabbed Jimmy's arm, "Where's Fuego?" he was afraid that Gibbs would leave her behind.

"Don't worry Tony, I promise I won't leave her, she's going to ride with me, I can take her to my Uncles house once we have you taken care of, OK."

"Ok," Tony whispered the cold outside air had left him feeling breathless even with the help from the O2.

Tim had turned off the van and made sure it was locked up. Gibbs took the evidence box and strapped it to the back of the snow mobile. Gibbs situated himself on the driver seat with Tim behind him. On the vehicle in front of them, Jimmy had the big dog jump up on the back seat the high back providing support, carefully he seated himself in the driver's seat and slowly moved off.

The trip back was slower than the trip in, Jimmy made frequent stops to check on Tony with Tim updating Ducky and Ziva along the way.

When they reached the SUV's Ducky and Ziva had prepared the cargo area, dropping down the middle seats and laying down a sleeping bag.

With care they had transferred Tony. Jimmy and Ducky worked to get him settled in, exhaustion and illness had taken its toll so that Tony did not protest as they fussed about him and even when they switched the O2 nasal cannula for a O2 mask that covered half his face. Once they had him as comfortable as they could get him, he asked, "Where's Fuego?"

"Fuego?" Ducky inquired looking over at Jimmy Palmer. Jimmy mouthed "the dog" and Ducky nodded his head in understanding. "She's outside with the team, Tony."

Ignoring Ducky's response, Tony glance over at Jimmy, "I want her with me."

"Ok, Tony, she can ride in here, we just needed to get you settled first." Jimmy was not going to argue with his friend and if the dog brought him comfort then he'd make sure she was with him. "Ducky is going to ride back here with you and the dog, Gibbs and either Tim or Ziva will be riding in this truck but only till we can get back near the highway, Ducky set it up to have an ambulance waiting for us. Ducky will go with you to the hospital and I am going to take Fuego to a vet to get her checked out."

"Vet, vet? Why does she need to be check out?" he struggled to get out through the mask.

"Just want to make sure she is ok from her fight with the coyote, she doesn't have any obvious injuries but all the fur can be hiding bite wounds. The vet will also check to see if she has a microchip, if she has one we should be able to locate her owner. Don't worry Tony, the vet is a friend of mine and Fuego will be well taken care of," Jimmy assured his friend.

It took the team 15 minutes to get on the road. Jimmy rode with Ziva in the Durango. Gibbs was driving the Suburban, Jimmy had decided to leave the trailer with the snowmobiles behind, his Uncle and Cousins would retrieve them in the morning. Ducky stayed in the back with Tony and the big dog, as she had refused to leave his side. Tim continued in his role, staying in communication with Emergency Medical Services.

It took about an hour to arrive at the designated meeting spot. An ambulance was waiting for them just off the exit to the highway. With ease that comes from experience Tony was quickly transferred by the EMT's, Ducky was allowed to ride with him in the ambulance

The EMT's indicated they would be taking Tony to Level 1 trauma center at the hospital in Harrisonburg. The team watched as the ambulance pulled away. Gibbs turned to McGee and Ziva, "I want you to head back to DC, the weapon and evidence that Tony found needs to be processed as soon as possible, leave Balboa an update and go home, don't worry about coming back until tomorrow."

"Boss, what about Tony?" Tim asked.

"Jimmy and I are headed to the hospital, one of us will call with an update as soon as we know something, now get going you two, and be careful one team member in the hospital is more than enough." Thinking for a moment about the snow-covered roads and the difficult trip down he added, "If the trip back is too dangerous, find a place to spent the night, I don't want to rescue any more agents tonight. Just get in as early as you can in the morning."

As they walked back to their respective vehicles Gibbs turned and said, "Tim, arrange to get the van back tomorrow."

"On it, Boss," Tim responded.

The junior teammates had been reluctant to leave but knew they were of more use in helping to solve the case than sitting in a hospital waiting room.

Jimmy and Gibbs with the big dog comfortable with the back seat to herself drove quietly into Harrisonburg. " Palmer you know where we're going?" Gibbs asked surprised that Jimmy knew his way around here as the young man was well-known for his poor sense of direction.

Not to happy to be alone with Gibbs but knowing there was no other option, Jimmy answered, "I went to James Madison University in Harrisonburg and I spent a lot of time in this area with my family. The Vet I am taking Fuego to is a friend, it's where I worked as an assistant in college."

With that he turned and looked into the back seat and called out, "You doing ok back there, big girl," he asked the dog. Picking up her big head she looked at Jimmy and with a whimper she put her head back down.

"She is a beautiful dog, leave it to Tony to find a girl out here," Jimmy said.

"Think you can track down her owners?" Gibbs inquired.

"I don't know but my friends will take good care of her and a, a, a lot of people," he stuttered, "dump dogs they don't want out here, but I promised Tony we would look."

The reminder of the ride was silent, each man lost in his own thoughts, in the back seat, Fuego rode quietly occasionally shifting positions or sitting up to look out the window. On arrival to the hospital, Jimmy found parking fairly close to the building, locking the doors, they left the dog in the car and entered the building to find Tony and Ducky.


	8. Part 8

**A/N**: _**Again, a big thanks and Abby Hug, to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, follow, and tag as a favorite.**_

_**Writing fiction is new to me, especially dialog. My writing experience has consisted of writing, way to many research papers when I was in graduate school, and as a social worker writing progress notes and psychosocial evaluations. **_

_**Fiction is so different as you have to create what you write. I am truly enjoying writing fan fiction, it is so much fun to take my favorite characters and do with them as I will and I appreciate all of you going on this ride with me.**_

_**I wish I owned rights to NCIS, but alas can only borrow them.**_

_**I thank my wife for taking the time to proofread, though I am constantly editing and any errors are mine, so I apologize of any mistakes. **_

_**I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing**_**.**

**LAG**

**Chapter 13**

The ambulance ride was nothing if not hell for Tony, he was in pain, his leg and shoulder were on fire and it felt as if he had an elephant sitting on his chest. They had given him some pain medication but until all his injuries were fully assessed in the hospital they did not want to give him anything that would suppress his breathing. The supplemental O2 helped a little but he continued to cough. Each cough elicited its own hell as his body felt as if it was being torn apart. Ducky had been unusually quiet leaving the EMT's to do their job, an IV was started, the O2 tank was replaced with one from the ambulance, vital signs taken again and quiet words of encouragement spoken.

A nebulizer treatment was prepared, to open his clogged airways; even without a stethoscope he could hear his own wheezy breath and feel the rattle in his lungs.

He closed his eyes and not realizing he had dosed off, he was startled when the O2 mask was replaced with a mask for the nebulizer, as he did not have had the energy to hold on to the normal mouthpiece that resembled a peace pipe. Lying back all he could do was try to breath and think, he was worried about the dog, that big beast had saved his life and he wanted to make sure she was safe, but he trusted Jimmy to take good care of her.

His thoughts wandered back to the team, he had been surprised that they had come out to "rescue him" he thought they would just have the rangers come looking for him. Then again, Gibbs seemed annoyed with him, but he was always annoyed with him and it seemed he was more worried about the evidence then he had been about him. Tony came to the conclusion that he really did not want to see or speak to any of his teammates, including Gibbs, until he has some time to clearly think about what he wanted to do with his life, he knew he was too hurt and angry and just too damn tired to figure things out. As the medication in the nebulizer sputtered to an end he felt as if the pressure on his chest had lifted a little now instead of elephant on his chest, he had a polar bear sitting on him. Not wanting to even try to speak he let his exhaustion take him.

Awareness returned as he was being transferred from the ambulance gurney to a bed in the hospital emergency room, around him medical staff awaited his arrival; from his numerous visits to emergency rooms he recognized that he was being treated in a trauma level room. As he was settled in the bed, the staff moved with what appeared to be chaos to an outsider, was really a well-choreographed routine. The medical staff asked questions about medical history, allergies as they efficiently removed all of his clothing and covered him with a warm blanket. Their words became jumbled as he faded in and out of awareness; he was relieved when Ducky stepped up to answer the questions.

After being poked, prodded and x-rayed, by a horde of faceless people in blue scrubs, a tall blonde haired man, pulled himself out of the pack and identified himself as a doctor. In a calm quiet voice he introduced himself, "Agent DiNozzo I'm Dr. Miller, one of the ED doctors, we are going to have to take you to surgery to remove that piece of wood in your leg and to clean the bite wound on your shoulder. You have a fever and are showing signs of infection in both wounds, the chest x-rays are indicative of early pneumonia so we do not want to use general anesthesia, especially with the scaring on your lungs from your bout with the plague. You have some bruised ribs, but none appear broken. You also have some pretty extensive bruising on your back and hip that is going to make moving very uncomfortable for a few days, but we did not find any indication of internal bleeding. I'm sure you already know your wrist is broken, looks like a simple break so we are going to put a splint on it for now, it will need to be evaluated by an orthopedist and once the swelling has gone down they will put a cast on. The nurses are going to move you up to the surgical ward and get your ready. The surgeon will get your consents. Do you have next of kin or a healthcare proxy, if we need to speak with anyone?"

Looking up at the doctor and feeling very overwhelmed at the list of injuries, he pointed at Ducky and said, "No family, Dr. Mallard and my friend Jimmy are my proxies, you can talk to them, but only them, OK."

Ducky nodded in acknowledgement and said, "Anthony, my dear boy, I have copies of the signed forms here with me, but only if we needed them."

"Can you give a copy to the nurse, we should have a copy in the chart," Dr. Miller told Ducky, turning back to his patient, "Now Agent DiNozzo, I don't expect that we will need them, the surgeon will get consent from you as I mentioned earlier, we are not going to put you under general anesthesia but use a combination of conscious sedation and nerve blocks, this will allow us to get that piece of wood out and get those wounds cleaned out without causing you additional pain. Once the procedure is over you should recover pretty quickly from the sedation."

"Will you be using propofol?" Ducky asked.

"Yes," answered Dr. Miller, "as you are aware it is an effective anesthesia and it has a quick recovery time, so Agent DiNozzo should wake quickly after the procedure."

"Wait, wait," Tony struggled to get out between coughs, as both Doctors turned to look at him, he said, "isn't that what Michael Jackson died from?"

"True, Agent DiNozzo, but that was not in a hospital setting, a board certified Anesthesiologist will be administering the drug and we will be monitoring your vitals very carefully, also we always keep medication in the room that quickly reverses the effects of the propofol, if a patient experiences problems. Also we will be using a light dose so that you will not need to be intubated. OK."

Tony and Ducky both nodded in understanding.

"There is one other thing," the Doctor added, "You said the wound on your shoulder was a coyote bite?"

Tony nodded his head, "Yes, it think it was,"

"Well, since we can not test the animal for rabies and the risk is to great, you are going to need a series of rabies vaccines." Seeing the look of horror on his patient's face, he quickly added, "Its not as bad as it used to be, its not 21 shots in the stomach, you will need to get immune globulin, these shots need to go in a big muscle such as the gluteus maximus you will require several shots as these are based on your weight, we will also give you the first rabies vaccine today, with 4 more to follow, given on days 3, 7, 14 and 28. The side effects for most people are minimal with most having redness and soreness at injection site and possible low-grade fever. Don't worry these can be given in the upper arm. I'll set it up to give you the immune globulin and first vaccine while you are under. Do you have any other questions?"

"No." Ducky and Tony responded together.

As they prepared to take Tony up to surgery, Ducky took the younger man's hand, "Anthony, I will be here waiting. Remember that Jimmy and I are here for you my dear lad. If you do not want to see Jethro, Timothy or Ziva we will do all we can to keep them away until you are ready."

"Thank you Ducky, I'm going to need a little time to think." Tony said as they wheeled him away, leaving Ducky looking at an empty corridor as his young friend disappeared around the corner. Putting his head down, Ducky let out a big sigh, he knew it would be a battle to keep Jethro away, but he would do what he needed to do to protect Tony. He just wished that Jethro would stop fighting his feelings, stop pushing Tony away and open his eyes to what was before him. Turning he headed to the waiting room for another long vigil waiting for an update on the young man he had come to think of as family.

_**Chapter 14**_

Ducky walked into the waiting room to see Jimmy and Gibbs anxiously waiting.

The three men sat quietly in a corner, as far away from the few other family members sitting in the room. Ducky gave them an update on Tony's condition and explained that he was on his way to surgery to remove the piece of branch in his leg and to properly clean and close the bite on his shoulder. He also explained the need for rabies vaccines and how they would be administered.

Getting up, Jimmy said, "Since it is going to be a while before we can see Tony, I'm going to take the dog to my friends, I already called her and she agreed to meet me at her clinic. I should be back in about a hour, the clinic is not far from here."

"Mr. Palmer, take good care of her, it seems our Anthony has gotten very attached to that big dog."

"I will Ducky, Gibbs. Be back soon," he said as he gathered his coat and left.

The two older men sat quietly for a time, "Ducky, is he really going to be OK?" Gibbs asked.

"Physically, yes. The pneumonia is the greatest concern, but if there are no complications he should be back on desk duty in about 4 weeks and in the field in about 6-8 weeks."

Both men stood, when a young nurse walked up to them, "Dr Mallard?" she asked.

"Yes, is there news on Agent DiNozzo already?" he replied.

"No, it's to soon, but Dr. Miller said you had copies of the healthcare proxy paper work, he would like to have a copy in the chart, before they start the surgery."

Jumping in Gibbs asked, "They haven't started yet, are there problems?"

Looking at Ducky for approval, she responded as he gave a nod, "Agent DiNozzo is in the pre-op area now, they are getting him prepared for the surgery as we speak, and the surgical team is scrubbing, Dr. Miller was concerned that if there are any complications he wants to be clear about who has decision making capacity for Agent DiNozzo."

"I understand my dear," reaching in to the inside pocket of jacket he withdrew and envelope and handed it to the young nurse.

"This is a copy of the documents, Agent DiNozzo has approved for myself or James Palmer to act on his behalf. While Agent DiNozzo is hospitalized one of us will be available at all times. I provided our contact information to the nice young woman who registered Agent DiNozzo when we arrived, and in that envelope you will find a copy of the complete list of our telephone numbers with the best time to call each number. Mr. Palmer and myself will also carry copies of these documents, I am very familiar with hospitals and I know that sometimes such information is misplaced."

"Don't worry Dr. Mallard, I will personally see that the information is placed in Agent DiNozzo's chart," smiling at both men she turned and headed down the hall.

Gibbs sat back down, leaning forward, with his hands dangling between his knees, with his head hung, he said without looking up, "Ducky, how did this get so messed up?" Looking up a his friend he added, "How do I fix this?"

Sitting next to his long-time friend Ducky said, "My dear Jethro, first you need to acknowledge what you feel for that young man, then you have to stop pushing him away. When I was in University there was a young man, who attended one of my classes, he was enamored of an other young man in our class. Oh, at that time it was not acceptable for him to act on his feelings. Rather than try to befriend the young man he was attracted to, he behaved very poorly toward him."

"Ducky, I don't have time for your stories," Gibbs interrupted, not really in the mood to listen to Ducky's ramblings.

"Well my boy, I ran into my classmate recently as he retired from his law practice here in D.C. I was one of the few people he had confided in years ago. I asked him if he had ever saw the other man and he told me that they had seen each other a few years back. My friend said that they talked, my friend is still alone, never having found anyone else to give his heart to, but the other man has been living with his male partner for over thirty years and they are planning on wedding in June as it is now legal in Washington, D. C. My friend drove the love of his life away because of fear, maybe they would have gotten together, maybe not, but my friend will never know what could have been. Jethro, you still have a chance to set this right, but you have to stop pushing this boy away. Do you even realize how hard all of you have been on him, it's a wonder he has not moved on already."

"I don't know Duck, I think I went to far, I left him out there today, I didn't care if he was alone, I didn't care if it was cold and snowing. Damn it Ducky, I didn't even remember that he had, had the plaque and what staying out there could do to him and the worst part is that I don't think knowing would have made a difference. God, what kind of bastard am, I."

"Jethro, you did not remember but the others did and they did not make an effort to remind you. If Mr. Palmer or myself had been aware he was still out there, you can be sure you would have heard it from us."

"Ziva and Tim both told me today that they have realized how bad they have been treating Tony, they hope to be able to make it up to him. I think Tony being trapped out there scared us all, I just hope it is not to late."

"Jethro, he is still alive and he will recover from this, I am not saying he will quickly forgive you, Ziva and Timothy. Unlike the movies Anthony likes to quote from, life does not always have a happy ending, but you will never know what could be if you do not try. I have never known you to give up Jethro. The real question you must ask you self is what do you want?"

"Oh Ducky, I wish I knew. The short time Tony and I were together felt right, but do I want a real relationship with him, do I want to spend the rest of my life with him? I don't know, I just don't know. Then there is the big IF. Will he let me in, let me make it up to him, I am not sure I would be very forgiving if I was him."

"Well Jethro, before you speak with him, you need be clear about what you want. It would not be fair to lead him on. Regardless of what you desire your personal relationship to be, you must stop treating him like an incompetent fool at work. He is a very capable young man, and deserves better. Ziva, Timothy and even Abby will follow your lead. You have allowed this behavior to continue and you can change it."

"Have a lot to work out Ducky," Gibbs said as he stood, "I need to find coffee, I'll bring you back a cup of tea if I can find anything in this place."

"That would be wonderful and if you can not find anything, I can contact Mr. Palmer to pick something up on his way back from the vet." Ducky added.

_NCIS_

Palmer walked into the waiting room carrying a tea for Ducky, regular coffee for himself and a black, no sugar extra dark roast for Gibbs. After leaving the dog in the capable hands of his friend he knew they would need something, it would be sunrise before they would have an opportunity to sleep.

Gibbs and Ducky were sitting quietly; each man had a cup in his hand. Palmer knew they would appreciate the fresh drinks as he knew from experience hospital coffee or tea would not be up to the standard of either man.

Seeing, Palmer, Gibbs stood up, he gladly accepted the cup that was offered to him. Once Ducky had his fresh tea, Jimmy sat down. Holding out the bag he still held in his hand he said, "picked us up some egg and cheese sandwiches, donuts, and bagels. Any word on Tony?"

Accepting the offered food, Ducky informed him that they had not been updated yet, but he was hopeful that they would not have to wait much longer.

"How's the dog?" Gibbs interjected when Ducky was finished speaking.

"A hum… she's ok, some minor bite wounds, but nothing serious. She does have a microchip, my friend Maria Fernandez; she's the veterinarian, was able to check the information and will try to locate the owners. If Maria can't confirm that Fuego has an updated rabies vaccine, then she is going to need to be quarantined and she may have to be put down."

Gibbs and Ducky looked at him as he said this, "Why?" they asked in unison.

"Well, if they can't confirm she had her rabies vaccines, the risk that she may have contracted the disease in a case like this is too great, normal practice would be to put the dog down or she would need to be quarantined for 6 months.

"If they can give Tony the rabies vaccine now, why can't they do the same for the dog?" Gibbs asked with a puzzled look on his face. He knew Tony had grown attached to the dog and with everything else he had gone through, it would it hit him hard to know the dog that saved him had to be put down.

"That's a good question, I really don't know but I will give Maria a call in the morning to ask." Jimmy said as he looked at his watch. It was now about 3:00am and he was starting to feel the lack of sleep. The food had helped bring his blood sugar up, as with his diabetes it was dangerous to let it get low.

Pulling out his phone he looked at Ducky and Gibbs, "I'm going to get us a motel rooms, there is a nice place just down the street, my mother used to stay there when she came to visit me in college. Once we get an update on Tony, I'm going to need to get some sleep."

Pulling out his wallet, Gibbs handed him a credit card, "here, use this one, put this on NCIS."

A young female doctor that looked as she just left the operating room, still wearing the shoe and hair cover, walked up to waiting men just as Jimmy finished confirming the two rooms. All three men stood, "You are with Agent DiNozzo?" she asked as she took her hair cover off.

Gibbs anxious to hear how Tony was jumped right in, "How is he, can we see him?"

Ducky also stood and introduced himself and the other men, "I am Dr. Mallard, this is Jimmy Palmer we are friends of Agent DiNozzo and we are also his healthcare proxies. This is Agent Gibbs, also a friend and Agent DiNozzo's supervisor. We are all very concerned about him and anxious to hear how he is doing."

"Lets sit down gentlemen," she said as she sat across from them. " I'm Dr. Harriet Mason, I just completed the surgery on Agent DiNozzo. The surgery went well, we were able to remove the piece of wood from his leg, appears to be a piece of a branch. The wound is deep, it has been cleaned and because it is a deep puncture wound, it was closed with a drain left in." While she was sure that Dr. Mallard understood the significance of this she was not sure about the grey haired man with intense blue eyes or their younger companion, she explained further, "With a deep wound, if we close it, fluid will continue to build up inside, increasing the risk of infection. For a shallow wound we would leave it open with packing, but in this case the drain will allow it to heal from the inside out. The drain is pulled out in a few days, the shoulder wound was cleaned out and closed. While we had him under the initial rabies vaccines were administered. The first set can be uncomfortable. Agent DiNozzo should be out of the PACU soon and we will keep him in the ICU for about 24 hours due to his history with the plaque and the early onset of pneumonia."

Ducky had not interrupted the Doctor, as it was important for Gibbs to understand what was happening; now he asked the young Doctor, "How long do you think he will have to be here?"

"I can't give you a specific number of days but I would want him here a minimum of three days, if his lungs clear and we can control the infections with oral medication. If the pneumonia does not start to resolve or if we have trouble controlling his infection then he could be here a week or longer."

"When can we see him," Gibbs asked again.

"For tonight I am only going to allow one of you in," glancing at Ducky, "since you are his healthcare proxy, you may see him tonight for a brief visit. He is on a CPAP machine to help with his breathing, I don't want him trying to talk as he is too short of breath and rest now is what he really needs."

"CPAP, what's that for, how does it help his breathing," Gibbs asked, even thought he had been with Tony through the plaque, he had been busy with the investigation and he had no recollections of the CPAP.

"Dr. Mallard, I can explain to Agent Gibbs if you want to go with the Doctor to see Tony," Jimmy said, glancing nervously at both men.

"That is a wonderful idea Mr. Palmer, I will go check on our young friend and be back shortly," he said as he walked away with the pretty young doctor.

Gibbs was not happy to be left behind and Jimmy was a bit nervous to be left with an unhappy Gibbs.

"Well, Jimmy what is a CPAP?"

Sitting down to wait for Dr. Mallards return, Jimmy explained the medical terminology to Agent Gibbs, then both men sat, sipping their coffees in silence.

_NCIS_

Dr. Mallard followed the young doctor through the twist and turns to the intensive care unit. The Doctor swiped her badge to gain entrance and pointed to an intercom on the wall, explaining that this was a restricted access unit and all visitors needed to call in to gain access. Entering the unit Dr. Mallard noted that in the center of the room was large nurses station that was active even at this time of night, rooms lined up on either side of the station with large movable glass doors that allowed staff to keep on eye on their patients. Dr. Mallard was led to a room on the far right, standing outside he could see that the staff were still getting Tony settled in.

The young man was pale, his left arm was splinted, his right leg was visible and he had a thick bandage on his thigh and shoulder. The nurse was checking the EKG leads, CPAP, O2, and IV's. Tony's lower legs were wrapped in plastic sleeves that attached to a pump at the end of the bed. The sleeves would inflate and deflate to assist in moving the blood in his legs and help to prevent blood clots while he was bedridden, they would be removed when Tony was able to get up and move around.

Tony's eyes were closed and he did not seem aware of the activity around him. This was a relief to Dr. Mallard as he was sure Tony would be embarrassed by the fuss and also the fact that he was naked on the bed, with just a thin sheet covering his private area with the plastic tubing from the catheter snaking its way out to end in the large urine collection bag.

"Give them a moment then you can enter," the young doctor said as she entered the room to talk to the nurses and check on her patient. After completing their tasks the nurses left the room. Tony would be carefully monitored from the nurse's station, with staff always close by. Signaling to Ducky, Dr. Mason motioned for him to enter the room.

"He is asleep. He did wake up after the surgery but with the pain medication and level of exhaustion he was asleep before we got him settled in here. I would expect him to sleep for several hours at this point. As you can see we have him on IV antibiotics, and he is closely monitored. The ICU team will be assessing him every 3 hours and we will move him to a step-down unit in about 24 hours if he is stable and responding to treatment. You can have a little time alone with him now, then I recommend that you and your friends get some rest, you can't help him if you don't take care of yourselves and he is in good hands now, but he will need you more when he is awake and alert. If you have any questions, ask his nurse and she will get a hold of me or one of the covering physicians." Looking at the concerned look on the older mans face she padded his shoulder and said, "he is going to be alright, may take a little time to recover but he will get through this."

Leaving Tony in the capable hands of the medical staff, Gibbs, Ducky and Jimmy left the hospital and headed to the hotel. It was still dark outside, but they would not get much sleep this night.


	9. Part 9

_**A/n: Almost to the end of what I had already written, so you may find that time between posts is a little longer, I will try my best to post at least once a week, more if possible. This is the longest story I have ever written and I have been working on it since Oct. Weather has been nice in Southern New England this past week and my wife and I just completed building a 8x16 floating deck in our backyard. Not bad for two middle aged women who are closer to "elderly" then "young adult", but the yard work takes time away from writing, can I wish for a little rain. At least after a few more weekends of work, I can spend my weekends sitting on my deck and just writing, hope to finish this by end of June.**_

_**As always I don't own any part of NCIS but it is fun to take them out to play.**_

_**A big thanks to my wife for proofreading but all errors are mine as I am constantly revising my work.**_

_**And a huge Abby Hug, to all of you who have taken time to read, review, follow and fav. I am incredibly humbled and honored by the comments you have left me. So again, **__**Thank You**__** all so very much. LAG**_

_**Chapter 15**_

Tony awoke to the constant beeping of the monitors in the ICU. He was warm and relatively pain-free at the moment, though his head had that floaty feeling that came from narcotic pain medications. A mask that he recognized as belonging to a CPAP machine covered his face. It was disturbing to have air pushed into his lungs but he was too tired and weak to try to remove it. A nurse came into check on him, giving him a smile as she made notes on a clipboard, noting the readings on the monitor. From experience he knew that his blood pressure, heart rate, respirations, temperature and O2 stats were being carefully monitored. He wondered what had happened to the dog, but Jimmy had assured him he would get her to a vet in the area. He trusted Jimmy and knew he would take good care of her.

He was glad to be alone at this time or as alone as he could be in the hospital, he knew he would have to talk to Gibbs but not yet, he was feeling too weak, too vulnerable. When he spoke with Gibbs he needed to have his act together. Gibbs was a force to be reckoned with and he was used to getting his own way. Thinking of what he would say to Gibbs, he drifted back to sleep.

Unfortunately for Tony it was three days before he was moved out of the ICU into a step-down unit. It had taken several changes in medication to get the pneumonia under control and while he still had a fever, he was no longer spiking temps over 104. Much to his delight he was now wearing a hospital gown and he was given a urinal to use, no more catheter. The CPAP machine was gone, but not the smaller oxygen mask, without it his O2 levels still dropped below 90% and as the respiratory therapist clearly informed him while doing his too numerous breathing treatments, he would need to remain on oxygen until his O2 levels stayed about 95% on room air.

Jimmy and Ducky had been in to see him in the ICU, per his instructions, Gibbs had not been allowed in. He would need to remind himself to ask Ducky how he had accomplished that feat, but he knew today he would at last have to face Gibbs.

Ducky had also told him that Gibbs had secured his service weapon and would return it when Tony was ready for it. Jimmy was holding on to his badge, wallet and other personnel items. Tony wondered if he would ever need his weapon again, as he prepared himself for the confrontation to come.

_NCIS_

Gibbs, Jimmy and Ducky sat in the hotel restaurant eating breakfast. Ducky and Gibbs had packed their bags and needed to return to Washington after their visit to Tony today. Over the last three days, the NCIS van had been recovered. Jimmy's Uncle and cousins had retrieved the trailer with the snowmobiles. Ziva and Tim were working on the case with Balbo and his team. Jimmy was staying behind in Harrisonburg with Tony until he was well enough to return home, his friend Maria, who was the veterinarian taking care of the dog, had offered them a room in her home.

Maria and her domestic partner Lilly had a large house with lots of extra rooms and a huge fenced in yard. Fuego as Tony had named the dog had been brought to their home when it was established that she was up to date on her vaccinations. She only had to receive a rabies vaccine booster and was recovering nicely from her tangle with the coyote.

Tim had assisted in finding the previous owners, who had been tracked down through the microchip. An elderly couple that had lived near Ashville, North Carolina had owned Fuego. When the husband had passed away and the elderly wife moved with her adult son to Wheeling, West Virginia. The family had decided to go up I-81 in VA, rather then going I-77 through West Virginia as the elderly woman wanted to visit her equally, elderly brother in Strasburg, VA. They had lost the dog in Strasburg when the elderly woman had accidentally let her out, in her confusion she thought she was still at home and had just opened the door as she did at home to let her out. The family thought that Ruby, as they called her was trying to get back home to Asheville. They had contacted animal control, but did not spend time looking for her.

Tim located the family in Wheeling and was informed that the elderly woman had been diagnosed with dementia and her son and daughter-in-law were overwhelmed by having to care for her, they requested that Maria find a new home for "Ruby". Tim had passed this information on to Gibbs and Jimmy. No one wanted to make a decision about the dog without input from Tony, so that was how she had ended up at Maria's home.

Maria and Lilly were thrilled to care for Fuego; they kept the name Tony had chosen for her as it fit with her beautiful orange red coat and amber colored eyes. She was a beautiful dog and even more so after she was bathed and groomed. A month of living in the forest had made for a very dirty dog. Maria and Lilly arranged it, so that Fuego would be allowed to visit Tony in the hospital, once he was moved to a regular room. Lilly was a social worker at the hospital and was able to get the necessary permission.

Without breaking any confidences Jimmy let his friend know that Tony had been going through a difficult time and being away from Washington might give him an opportunity to work out some personal issues.

The two women were warm and caring, they had a habit of taking in strays both the 2 and 4-legged type. Jimmy assured Tony that he would be welcomed and he would be with Fuego. Tony was not ready to be parted from Fuego. When they told him about her previous owners, he wanted to hold off finding her a new home until he decided what he was going to do with his future, maybe with some adjustments he would be able to keep her. Tony agreed to stay with Jimmy and his friends on discharge, as he would be able to spend time with his new friend.

_**Chapter 16**_

Tony lay in his hospital bed in the step-down unit, today was the day he would have to speak with Gibbs; he could not avoid it any longer. Jimmy and Ducky had informed him that Gibbs and Ducky would be leaving for Washington after visiting with him, as they needed to get back to work. He was saddened to know that Ducky would be leaving too but glad that Jimmy would be staying with him and that Jimmy's friends had taken Fuego in and he would be able to stay with her.

Dr. Mason and Dr. Miller assured him that he was improving, but he still faced a long convalescence. Tomorrow, if he continued to improve he would be moved to a regular room. After discharge he would need to keep up with his breathing treatments, the nurse case coordinator for the hospital had been in to see him and was going to order a nebulizer that he would use at home 2 times a day. He would also need to go for physical therapy for his shoulder and arm, once they were healed, to ensure he regained full range of motion and his strength back. The leg injury was healing nicely and despite some discomfort they had him up and walking a short distance with assistance. Normally he would have been trying to get out of the hospital sooner and he would have been in a hurry to get back to Washington and his desk, but now he was thankful for the break this was giving him. He needed the time to think and to decide what to do with his future.

Out there alone in the cold, hurt and sick, thinking no one would come, had him evaluating his place on the team and in Gibbs' life. He did not shy away from danger; he had been in law enforcement since he graduated from college and knew the dangers that came with the job. That he could take, but to be injured and hurt because his partners no longer had his back, because he had purposely been left behind, without regard for his safety, that he could no longer tolerate, he no longer trusted his teammates and the job was too dangerous to work with people you did not trust with your life because shit like this could kill you and he was not ready to die.

This left him with several choices, he could ask for a transfer to another team and stay in Washington or he could look for a position outside of Washington, he could take a position with another federal agency or he could use his law degree to do something completely different. He would put the time he had off to good use and explore his options, he knew this was a decision he could not make lightly and right now, with all the hurt and anger he was feeling he knew that he would make a decision he would later regret if he did not give himself time to let the rational side of his brain take over.

_NCIS_

Gibbs sat alone in the waiting room, Jimmy and Ducky had gone on ahead to check on Tony and to see if he was ready and willing to meet with him. If he had, had his way he would have been in that room three days ago, when Tony had first been brought in here, but Ducky had played his role of guardian of The Keep well, making it very clear that he would not be allowed in to see Tony until it was ok with Tony. He went as far as threatening to get a restraining on Tony's behalf if Gibbs did not honor his wishes.

At Tony's request Ducky had held back from saying anything to Gibbs over the past year but he had watched as Gibbs has systematically pushed Tony away and he knew the pain that was in Tony's heart. Ducky now made it clear to Gibbs that he was about to get what he wished for, it appeared he had succeed in his mission of driving Tony away, as Ducky was convinced that Tony would never return to the MCRT under Gibbs' leadership.

Gibbs knew that he had only one small opportunity to make things right with Tony. He had been struggling with his feelings for the younger man, but over the last few days he had time to really think about his actions and his motivation for his poor behavior. He was not comfortable with emotions; he always tried to bury his feelings. Dealing with the uglier side of life as a Marine and a Special Agent, had taught him to compartmentalize and detach to a certain level or he would not be able to do his job as he witnessed humanity at its cruelest and having to deal with all the raw emotions of victims and their families.

Once in his life, he had truly loved, totally, completely, with every once of his being, but it had been ripped away when his girls had been killed. He had not let anyone else get close, building a fortress around himself, oh he had gone though the motions getting married again three times, but that was about companionship and sex, not really about love. He had no intention of falling for Tony, but in a job that required them to spend so much time together, too trust each other explicitly, Gibbs had started to find some holes in his walls. The months they were together before the explosion had shown him that sometimes you find love in the most unexpected places, occasional sex with a man was something he had done because in the past there had been no feelings attached. With Tony he found someone he could love. Their relationship was still in its infancy, but Tony made him smile, made him laugh, and gave him joy.

After the explosion, the amnesia, the time apart, he had initially forgotten their time together. When he came back from his retirement, he was annoyed with Tony, the young man had held his team together, but when he found his 2nd in command continue to give orders and directions to the team, he made it his mission to teach him were he belonged. Six months had passed before he remember what he had with Tony, but by then he had made Tony the teams scapegoat and it was also clear that Tony had moved on and was involved with someone, he did not give any indication that his memories had returned, but it hurt to see Tony, sneaking off to be with someone else. When he found out Tony had been uncover he was angry and felt betrayed that Tony had not trusted him enough to tell him about the operation. He had not considered how his treatment of Tony at that time had made it impossible for Tony to come to him. Watching Tony's car blow up over and over had been heart wrenching, but as he always did he hid his feeling and only let his anger be seen.

Leaving Tony alone at the crime scene in the snow was stupid and careless. His reaction was despicable, he was scared and feeling overwhelming guilt that Tony had been seriously hurt because of his actions, that Tony could have died because of him. Instead of giving the younger man some comfort, he had acted like a total bastard, as he always said that was what the 2nd B in Gibbs stood for, didn't mean he really had to act like one.

That first night at the hospital, waiting for an update on Tony, Ducky had told him he needed to figure out what he wanted, he made it clear that he was on the verge of loosing Tony forever, not that death would take him but that this time he would finally walk away. After three days of some serious self reflection and pushing from Ducky, he reached the conclusion that not having Tony in his life, was not an option, he had come to depend on Tony, to trust him, to desire him and to love him, now he just had to convince him to give him a second change, to believe that he had really changed and that he was no longer going to push the him away. Gibbs knew it was a lot to ask for and this was not one of the movies Tony so loved to quote from.

Real life was messy and complicated and people did not get over hurt feelings after a well-scripted apology. In real life some people never got over the hurt, never forgave and happiness ever after was only a fantasy.

Gibbs was in for the fight of his life, he was not going to let Tony go easily and he knew he had only himself to blame for everything that had happened. He could not have prevented the explosion or the following amnesia, but he had control of his behavior when he returned and his behavior was deplorable. He was a man that lived by a strong set of rules and with Tony he had broken several of his cardinal rules: _Never screw your partner_, _Never leave a man behind_, and _Don't waste good_.

He had broken all of these. He had screwed Tony over by not supporting him and leaving him out on his own without back up. By not respecting him or his place on the team, he wasted the talents the young man had brought to the job. Once he had treated Tony as a valuable member of the team, now he had tried to make Tony feel like he was an incompetent fool, finding fault with everything Tony did.

It was the time for him to break the one rule he should throw away Rule 6: _Never say you're sorry. It's a sign of weakness_, Gibbs knew that he had been so wrong that groveling on his hands and knees would not even come close to cutting it. Gibbs was not a man who wore his emotions on his sleeve, but he was going to have to show Tony just how truly sorry he was, how much he cared about him and the depth of his love for the young man.

The other rule that he should throw out in this case was number 12: _Never date a co-worker_, because if Tony would have him, he planned on showing the younger man, that buried under a gruff exterior was the heart of a romantic.

Jimmy and Ducky disrupted his chain of thought when they came out and advised him that Tony was ready to see him, while he was in with Tony they were going to get an update from the doctors. Tony had been moved to step-down this morning after spending three days in the ICU. Gibbs watched as they walked away, then taking a deep breath he braced himself for what was to come.

**A/N: I told Xenascully I would pass on this information. She is working very hard on planning the 3****rd**** Annual Fanfic Convention**

**in Roanoke, Virginia July 20, 2014.**

**If you are interested in attending send her a PM for details. Wish I could attend but already had summer vacation planned. LAG**


	10. Part 10

_**A/n: **_

_**Have been working on new chapters, even took my Ipad to work so I could write a paragraph or two during lunch. For those that did a rain dance, it worked, raining right now. This one is short but moment we have been waiting for. **_

_**As always I don't own any part of NCIS but it is fun to take them out to play.**_

_**Thank you to my wife for proofreading but all errors are mine as I am constantly revising my work.**_

_**And another huge Abby Hug, to all of you who have taken time to read, review, follow and fav. I am incredibly humbled and honored by the comments you have left me. So again, **__**Thank You**__** all so very much. LAG**_

_Jimmy and Ducky disrupted his chain of thought when they came out and advised him that Tony was ready to see him, while he was in with Tony they were going to get an update from the doctors. Tony had been moved to step-down this morning after spending three days in the ICU. Gibbs watched as they walked away, then taking a deep breath he braced himself for what was to come._

In his room, Tony watched his friends leave and mentally prepared himself to face Gibbs, he was still very angry and knew he would need to keep his emotions under control, he decided that the best way to deal with this was just to be as professional as possible, give his report as he would if he was up dating a co-worker on a case. He did not want to address the underlying issues, as he did not feel he would have the energy for such a heated conversation.

Gibbs was shocked at the appearance of his SFA. Tony was sitting upright in bed, he was pale, and his green eyes had that glassy fevered look. Gibbs knew that Tony was still very sick and the fever still lingered. Tony's breathing had a wheezy sound that Gibbs could hear from across the room and all of this reminded him of the time Tony was in the hospital with the plaque, except this time, he had his left arm the white cast that had replaced the splint, his injured leg was propped on some pillows and under the neck of the hospital gown he could see the edge of the bandages that covered the coyote bite. If this was an improvement he could only imagine how bad Tony had looked over the past 3 days.

Not known for his way with words, Gibbs knew this was one time where he could not hide behind his functional mute facade. "Hey Tony, you feeling better." Gibbs asked, thinking to himself how lame that had sounded.

"My name is Agent DiNozzo to you, Agent Gibbs," Tony responded in a weak breathy voice. The anger he was feeling resonating through his whole being. He did not remove the oxygen mask to speak, as he would have during past hospital admissions.

Gibbs was taken back by Tony's request to be formally addressed but he would comply, now was not the time to get irritated.

"Agent DiNozzo," Gibbs started even thought it felt strange to him, "I want to start this by apologizing for my behavior and my blatant disregard for your safety. I should have never left you alone out there. I also want to apologize for my abhorrent behavior toward you over the past year, I have undermined your position on the team, I have belittled you in front of others, I have disregarded your contributions to the team and I have put you in danger with my actions."

Instead of appeasing Tony, this string of apologies had him seeing red. He figured it he kept this up, before long he would set off the monitors for his heart rate and blood pressure. "You think, Agent Gibbs, that a few apologies will erase years of ill treatment, then you are sorely mistaken. I will give you my statement but that is all you are going to get today. I don't care about what you remember or not, what you feel sorry about, I just want to get this done so you can leave my room as soon as possible." Tony laid his head back on the pillow, trying to calm his breathing and get more oxygen into his lungs.

Looking down, Gibbs said in a whisper, "I really am so very sorry Tony." Glancing up, he saw Tony with his head back and eyes closed, Gibbs was not sure if he had heard.

Tony lay with his eyes closed for a moment; he had heard Gibbs speak and that quiet heartfelt apology at the end had reached deep inside of him. It reminded him of the Gibbs that had loved and cared for him, but he was not ready to forgive and he was not ready to open his heart to that level of hurt again. He felt so tired and sick that, all he wanted was to give his statement; have Gibbs go and medicate himself into obliteration for a few hours.

Opening his eyes, he saw Gibbs still standing there quietly and looking surprisingly contrite. "Sit, Agent Gibbs," Tony said motioning to the chair next to him. He did not want Gibbs this close, but he did not have the energy to project his voice across the room.

Not wanting to upset Tony again, Gibbs, sat where instructed, "Agent DiNozzo, you may start when you are ready."

"You know the first part, after I called you to tell you I located the knife, I marked the area, took photos and bagged and tagged the knife. The snow had started to come down real heavy and it wasn't possible to keep checking the area. Also I knew that it would be dark soon, and I had wanted to be on the way back before nightfall. The wind had also started to blow." Stopping to cough and take a sip of water, Tony rested a moment before continuing. "I went back to the van and stowed away the possible murder weapon, camera and other items I had bagged and tagged. I went to retrieve the tent as it had been blown over in the wind. It took me a few minutes to get it closed and as I was heading back to the van, a falling branch hit me." Looking down at his arm in its white cast and rubbing his leg, he shuttered as the memories of being trapped out their returned.

Gibbs watched with concern as Tony appeared to have a more difficult time breathing, the wheezing was getting more pronounced and his voice was so weak it was hard to hear what he was saying. "Agent DiNozzo, I think I have enough for now, when you are up to it you can write up the rest of your statement and send it to the office." Getting up from the chair he headed for the door.

Tony was too exhausted to disagree, just nodding in agreement.

Gibbs was torn, he wanted to respect Tony's wishes but having come close to loosing him, a strong drive to protect the young man had arisen in him. Risking Tony's wrath, he said, "Tony, I know this is not the time to talk, but when you are ready, I really want to make this up to you if you will let me. What I did was inexcusable but I do hope someday you will forgive me." With that said he turned to leave.

"Maybe someday Gibbs, but not today," came the whispered reply.

Stepping into the hall, Gibbs found Ducky and Jimmy waiting. Not wanting to display how unbalanced he felt at this moment, he said, "You need to check on him, he was sounding really wheezy." Then turned away to find a quiet place to think while he waited for Ducky to head back to Washington.

Upon entering the room, Ducky and Jimmy found that Tony's heart rate was elevated and his breathing was labored even with the oxygen, they had the nurse come in to evaluate their friend. She increased the rate of the oxygen Tony was receiving, advised him not to try to speak and went to call the Doctor.

After a nebulizer treatment, Tony's breathing improved. After his confrontation with Gibbs, he was left physically and emotionally exhaustion and needed time alone. Ducky said his good-byes and promised to contact the younger man tomorrow.

Jimmy walked Ducky out, their shared concern for their friend heavy on their minds. Ducky said, "Mr. Palmer you will let me know if there are any changes in his condition."

"Of course, Dr. Mallard, and don't worry I will keep an eye on him, we just need to make sure he has the time he needs to decided on his future without pressure from the team."

"Oh my boy, I do not think we will have to worry about Agent Gibbs trying to contact Tony. I think Tony made it very clear that he does not want any contact unless he initiates it. The one I am most worried about is Abby. I think she will try to contact Tony unless Agent Gibbs gives her a direct order not too. I am also not sure how she will react to all this, I know she cares about Tony, but she is very protective of Agent Gibbs and does not always see him as we do."

Leaving Jimmy at the hospital entrance, Ducky and Gibbs headed back to D.C. Before leaving Gibbs handed Jimmy a sealed envelope and asked that he pass it on to Tony. Gibbs hated leaving with things so unsettled between them, but he knew that if he was ever going to repair their relationship, he had to start by treating Tony with the respect and dignity he deserved. Respecting Tony's wishes and waiting until he was ready to talk without pushing his own agenda was a start. He would wait, no matter how impatiently, no matter how long, for Tony to contact him.

**A****/N: I told Xenascully I would pass on this information. She is working very hard on planning the 3****rd**** Annual Fanfic Convention ****in ****Roanoke, ****Virginia July 20, 2014.**

**If you are interested in attending send her a PM for details. ****Wish I could attend but already had summer vacation planned. LAG**


	11. Part 11

6

_**A/n: Blame the beautiful sunny Southern New England weekend for the delay in posting. Finished our new deck but now have to do some landscaping, gardening and for those of you who live where it snows you know that each fall we put away all our outdoor stuff, only to have to take it all back out in the spring. Couple more weekends of hard work then summer is all mine or should I say ours. **_

_**As always I don't own any part of NCIS but it is fun to take them out to play.**_

_**Thank you to my wife for proofreading but all errors are mine as I am constantly revising my work.**_

_**And another huge Abby Hug, to all of you who have taken time to read, review, follow and fav. I won't ask, beg or hold a story hostage for reviews but I want you to know that I read and respond to all, sorry guests, can't respond but still enjoy reading. My wife will ask why I am smiling and I have to read her your comments. So again, **__**Thank You**__** all so very much. LAG**_

_**Chapter 17**_

Tony sat on the bed dressed in sweats that Jimmy had brought him yesterday in anticipation of his discharge. Today at last he would be released from the hospital. Jimmy should be here any minute to get him. He was anxious to get out, as he hated hospitals and had been here too long. Also he really wanted to see Fuego, Jimmy and his friends had been able to get the dog in to see him once during his stay. Fuego had gotten so excited, hopping around and wagging her tail, Tony was so pleased that she had not forgotten him, and now he would be able to spend time with her. Maria had found some bites on her but overall she was in good health, as her rabies shots had been up to date, she did not have to be quarantined or worse put down.

It had been ten days since he had been brought in, spending three days in ICU and two days in the step-down unit. Finally, his fever broke yesterday; he had awoken about three in the morning soaked in sweat, the night nurse helped him clean up and change his hospital gown. He was beyond being embarrassed at this time, as the nurses had seen all there was to see of him on a number of occasions. The cast on his left arm and his injured shoulder made it difficult for him to take care of all his own basic needs and the staff had been helping to clean him up.

The doctor had told him he had to remain afebrile for at least 24 hours before they would consider discharging him, fortunately for him, his fever had not returned and he had finished the full course of IV antibiotics, the IV site in his arm had been removed, though it had left an impressive bruise, matching the bruises on his hip and back.

The nurse had gone over all of his discharge instructions, he was given several prescriptions that needed filling and the nebulizer had been delivered directly to the home of Maria and Lilly. He would continue on oral antibiotics for another 14 days, and the respiratory therapist had explained the use of the nebulizer. He was not pleased about the prednisone. They had started him on it to reduce the inflammation in his airway and he would need to taper off it. He hated being on prednisone as it made him moody and restless, but would be completely off in two weeks. He would also have to use an inhaled medication 2x a day and carry a rescue inhaler on him at all times. The rescue inhaler was not new but using an inhaler everyday was. The paper work had also included a list of follow up appointments with the doctors at least the physical therapist would be coming to the house.

He was just so glad to be getting out; the first week had been hell, always feeling as if he could not get enough air even with the CPAP and oxygen. At one point they had considered putting him on a ventilator but fortunately that had not happened.

It would be another 4 weeks at least before he would be cast free. It had been a clean break that had not required surgery but the cast was bulky and uncomfortable. The bite wound on his left shoulder was healing, he had some residual stiffness and limited range of motion. The stitches had been removed this morning and the Doctor had assured him there would be minimal scaring on his back, his leg, well while it was healing would have an impressive scar were the drains had been in left in for about 2 days following surgery. Due to the muscle damage he was walking with a limp and had been given a cane to use until he regained some strength in his right leg.

The rabies vaccine had not been as bad as he thought it would be, having grown up hearing stories of 21 injections in the stomach, he was assured that it had not been done that way for years. He had already had the first 3 rounds of the vaccine while in the hospital and only had 2 left, as he had to get them on a set schedule, he would come back for the next one in 4 days and the last one 2 weeks after that. He hated needles but the thought of rabies scared him more as there was no cure and he was still having nightmares of being attacked by the coyote.

Jimmy's friends, Maria and Lilly had assure him that it would be no trouble to have him stay in their home. He was not sure how long he would be staying but it would be at least a month. Jimmy had gone back to Washington and had been able to get clothes and personal items from his apartment. He contemplated going back to D.C. when he was discharged, but he really wanted to spend time with Fuego, the dog had saved his life and also it would be nice to be away from all the craziness. Plus he really needed time to think about what he was going to do with his future and right now he did not want to see Gibbs and the rest of the team except for Ducky and Jimmy.

He had talked to Abby yesterday for the second time since he was in the hospital, she had been away at a conference when this incident had occurred. During their first conversation she seemed upset with him, blaming him for getting Gibbs bad mood and it seemed as if she did not believe that Gibbs would have left him alone at the crime scene in the middle of a snowstorm. Surprisingly it had been Tim and Ziva, who had set her straight.

Ducky told him that Abby had been ranting about how Tony blamed her Sliver Fox for leaving him out there. Abby had said he was just acting like a spoiled child who did not take responsibility for his actions. Per Ducky, Tim and Ziva made it very clear to her that Tony was in no way responsible, that they in fact had let their partner down. Abby had continued to insist that Gibbs would never do that to someone he cared about. Tim and Ziva told her they all had a part in what happened to Tony, because they had been treating him as if he no longer mattered to the team.

The next day, Abby talked to Ducky, who made it clear that Tim and Ziva were correct, that her behavior, blaming Tony for Gibbs bad mood, just emphasized how poor the team had been treating Tony and how that behavior had led to Tony almost getting killed. As Ducky scolded her, Abby got paler then her normally pale complexion, ran to the bathroom and got sick, when she came out she was contrite and apologetic. Ducky told her that he was not the person whom she needed to apologize to.

When Abby called yesterday she was remorseful, but Tony did not feel up to dealing with her drama as even when apologizing Abby could make it all about her, wanting everyone to comfort her and he was not sure yet that he was willing to forgive her and told her so. The conversation was uncomfortable and ended with the issues unresolved between them, but he it was nice to hear that Tim and Ziva had defended him, even accepting some responsibility for what happened, regardless he still did not feel he could trust them.

Gibbs did not try to contact him after their interaction in the hospital. He did send a note with Jimmy, which was very uncharacteristic for the man; actually his whole demeanor in the hospital room had been uncharacteristic. Tony had expected a firestorm of a confrontation; Gibbs was not one to apologize, he usually just bulldozed his way into any situation. When he spoke with Ducky the next day, Ducky had told him not to spend time analyzing Gibbs' behavior. Ducky could not speak for the Senior Agent, but he did feel that seeing Tony injured and ill had scared him and that he knew he was ultimately responsible. Gibbs did not admit to making mistakes but he was not perfect and sometimes he was just wrong. Tony read the note, written in Gibbs' precise handwriting,

Tony, I accept full responsibility for what happened, I should have had your six. There are no excuses for my actions. Will be waiting to talk when you are ready,

Gibbs

It was brief, and left future contact up to Tony. He did not know that to think of this, but he knew he needed time. He was going to be out of work for at least another 6 weeks, money would not be a problem as he had been injured on the job. Since his injuries happened on the job he would have workman's compensation, his medical bills would be covered and he would be paid 80% of his salary, with the balance made up by his sick and vacation time. Normally he would go back on light duty as soon as he was medically able to do so, but this time he would not go back just to sit at his desk surrounded by people he did not want to be around. His broken arm and injured should precluded him from doing the needed computer work and filing required of desk duty. He still had not made up his mind about the job. He would not even consider going back until the issues with his team were addressed and he felt he would not be put in danger because of a lack of concern for his safety, in reality he was not sure he wanted to go back.

Thinking about this was just making him anxious and he could feel his chest getting tight, he took a few deep breaths and wished Jimmy would hurry up and get here.

Tony thought of Christmas, he was going to be spending it with Jimmy and his friend's as it was only a week away. Tony had never been big on Christmas or any other holiday. With his mother there had been some joy, watching, _It's a Wonderful Life_ and eating caramel popcorn when she was not in one of her "moods". After she died when he was 8, it had been the staff that kept up the tradition, as his father was too busy to spend time with his young son. Guadalupe the Cook and the other house staff tried to give the small boy in their care some joy on Christmas and throughout the year. He would sit in the kitchen and watch Cook prepare families meals, and she would talk to him, teach him Spanish and make special treats just for him, but in a cold, formal household, where everything was about appearances, the needs of the child were frequently overlooked by selfish parents.

Christmas morning, Tony would wake to find a perfectly store wrapped gift under the perfectly decorated tree, in the perfectly decorated house, but there was no thought put into buying his gift and it was usually something Tony hated. Tony was sure it was his father's secretary who had made the purchase.

At the of age twelve he was disowned by his father and sent to the Rhode Island Military Academy in Rhode Island, while he was at boarding school he would just stay through the holidays with a handful of other boys. The staff made sure that the kids had no place to go had a Christmas meal. The professionally wrapped gifts continued to arrive.

In College, avoiding the holidays was not an issue as he was so busy with his studies, sports and the part-time jobs he had to work to supplement his scholarships. Once he started working as a police officer he would just volunteer to work, as a single, rookie cop, it was expected that he would work the holidays and would need to put in his time to earn those days off. Tony was elated as now he did not have to make up excuses as to why he had no place to go.

The only real Christmas he had known was in Peoria, when he had been living with Gunther. Günter was a 6'5" blond, Nordic god. He came from a big family who loved the holidays. He had brought home a Christmas tree that was so large it was hard to fit in their apartment and they had to cut two feet off the top to make it fit even with the 10 foot ceilings in their apartment. They had spent the day stringing lights on the tree but never finished decorating it. Making love for hours under the branches with the lights flashing brightly in an array of colors became their favorite pastime. When Tony was offered the job in Philly, Günter accepted a job in California. The relationship ended without drama or heartache. They made promises to keep in touch, but after a year the calls and letters dropped off. Tony did not have another male lover until Gibbs.

While working in Peoria it had been difficult to keep his relationship with Günter secret, having to constantly censor what he said, referring to Günter as his roommate, not being able to share, when his co-workers talked about their families, what they did on their time off and with whom, not being able to have a real date for fear someone would see them. While making a routine arrest, he had been injured when the suspect's girlfriend stabbed him in the side. In the ensuing struggle Tony was knocked unconscious, lucky for him his partner and back up arrived in time. His partner made a call to Günter letting him know Tony had been injured and was in the hospital. When Günter arrived to see him, Tony was in surgery, as he was not "family", he was given no information on Tony's condition and spent a miserable night in the waiting room worrying, until Tony was awake and alert enough to give permission for him to enter. The worst part was that as a "brotherhood" of police officers, Tony's partner and Sergeant had been treated as family, given medical updates and had been allowed in to see him, while Günter was kept out. Günter was upset he could not disclose their relationship but he had kept his promise to Tony and did not say anything.

Tony hated living this way but after witnessing what happened to a fellow officer who was just suspected of being gay, Tony concluded that he did not want to find himself in that position. The rude comments, the harassment, fear that if you got into trouble backup would be slow in coming. Mostly Tony had spent too much of his life as an outsider and he just wanted to fit in for once, so he created the façade of a over-sex frat boy, if anyone had bothered to look behind the mask they would have known that most of his "dates" did not end up in anybody's bed.

Tony nearly fell off the bed when the door opened and Jimmy walked in. Seeing the started looking on his face Jimmy said, "Oh God, Tony I didn't mean to scare you, are you ok?"

"I'm fine Jimmy, was just thinking you were never going to come, thought you were going to be here a half hour ago."

"I'm sorry, I was getting your room set up, the medical supply company delivered a nebulizer this morning."

"It's Ok Jimmy, let get out of here," Tony said getting up off the bed.

"Do you have everything?" Jimmy asked, "Did the nurse give you all your discharge papers?"

"Yeah, I have everything, we need to stop at a pharmacy on the way home, I'm sure you will make sure I take all these meds," Tony smiled at his friend as he said this.

"Your bet Tony, Ducky will kill me if I don't take care of you. There is a pharmacy on the way to Maria and Lilly's house, I think they have a drive through window, we can drop them off and I'll pick them up later, after I get you settled at the house."

Grabbing the small bag of personal items for Tony, they made their way out to the car. Tony was using a cane to help his injured leg, though with his broken arm and injured shoulder it was a bit awkward.


	12. Part 12

_**A/n: **_

_**Blame the delay in posting on the beautiful weekend we had, lot and lots of sun, just perfect, of course spent all my time working in the yard, so no time to write . On the positive side, my house is clean, my yard looks great, and more free time to write this week. **_

_**As always I don't own any part of NCIS but it is fun to take them out to play.**_

_**Thank you to my wife for proofreading but all errors are mine as I am constantly revising my work.**_

_**And another huge Abby Hug, to all of you who have taken time to read, review, follow and fav. I am incredibly humbled and honored by the comments you have left me. So again, **__**Thank You**__** all so very much. LAG**_

_**Chapter 18**_

About a half hour later Jimmy pulled into the driveway of a rather large house set back about 150 feet from the road. The two-story white stucco, red tile roofed, Spanish Colonial was an unusually architectural style for this area. About five acres of land surrounded the house. The front of the house was flat with a veranda that ran the full length; the second floor balcony covered the veranda. The windows he could see appeared to be floor to ceiling. A beautiful pine wreath with a large red bow, adorned the large double doors of the main entrance. A two-car garage was attached to the left side of the house. Parked on a paved area next to the garage sat a very muddy, slightly beat up pick-up truck. Between the house and the garage was a side entrance into the home.

As Jimmy and Tony approached the side door, the sound of laughter could be heard. Entering through the mudroom the two men stopped in shock at the sight in front of them. Maria dressed in a one-piece coveralls, like the ones they used at crime scenes, was covered from head to toe in a thick mud, emitting the strong odor of manure.

Lilly held on to Fuego who seemed very interested in the smelly muck. The two women emitted sounds of pure joy as they laughed, Maria holding her side as she got a stitch from laughing so hard; an occasional snorting sound accompanied the sound of Lilly's laughter. Seeing the two men enter, the women struggled to compose themselves, Lilly let go of Fuego who went immediately to Tony, with barely contained excitement, the dog made a sound that was part bark and part whine, she also did a little dance, hopping up and down, body wiggling and tail wagging with joy.

Lilly finding her voice first said, "OMG, that hurt, Maria was at the Harmon farm taking care of a sick horse, the horse got a little ornery and in trying to avoid a hoof, Maria slipped and landed in the mud." Noting how pale Tony appeared and the way he leaned heavily on his cane, Lilly headed for the door, beckoning the guys to follow. "Come on guys let's get you settled. Tony, you and Jimmy will have the guest rooms on the first floor; there is a shared bathroom between the rooms. Honey," she said turning to Maria, "you going to get cleaned up and take care of this mess." pointing to the muddy tracks on the floor, "while I get the guys settled."

Maria did not respond but gave her a look that said, of course what else do you think I would, stand around covered in mud and cow poop all day.

Blowing Maria a kiss, as no way, did she want to touch her muddy wife, Lilly lead Tony and Jimmy into the main house. Maria finally finding her voice called after them, "Tony, Jimmy welcome to our home, I'll catch up with you guys later."

"That's a normal occurrence around here," Lilly explained, "most of Maria's practice consists of horses, cows and other farm animals, though she does treat dogs, cats other pets in the office. My wife does not mind the mud but I do, so as a compromise we added the mudroom. The other door off the mudroom is a full bathroom with its own washer and dryer. She leaves all work clothes in there."

The trio followed by the big dog made their way through a well-appointed kitchen, the walls yellow-gold, Dark granite counter tops with cherry glass faced cabinets. One wall was all glass with floor length window and French doors leading out to a courtyard. A large kitchen table filled the rest of the space.

"Hope you like to eat," Lilly said as they walked through the kitchen, "Maria is a great cook, hence, the twenty pounds I put on," patting her belly for emphasis, "since we have been together."

Tony was quiet as they walked taking in the large home and getting familiar with the layout. Too many years as a police officer had left him with the need to always be aware of his surroundings.

Jimmy and Lilly continued talking, as Lilly lead then through the arched doorway at the far end of the kitchen, then left down a corridor lined with several large oak panel doors. Jimmy was asking her about their marriage as it was only legal in a few states and Virginia was not one of them. Tony paid attention to this part of the conversation, as he was interested in the progression of legal and social acceptance of marriage for same-sex couples. While Tony did not identify as "Gay" he was a bi-sexual man who on the Kinsey scale was probably closer to homosexual then heterosexual. Listening to the conversation, he heard Lilly say, "You know, Maria and I have been together for about 15 yrs, but we just got married this past November 12th, in Hartford, Connecticut. The law there went into effect on that day and we wanted to be part of history. I lived in CT for a few years and Maria lived in Massachusetts, our friends in Hartford actually introduced us, so it was fitting we held our wedding there. Our friends have an old Victorian house with lots of room and it was a really cool place for a small wedding, I told Maria I just wanted to get married outside in my jeans and forgo a big wedding but November in Connecticut is just too damn cold to do anything outside. In May, we plan on having a big celebration here. If only the rest of the country would catch up with New England." She said shaking her head.

Lilly and Jimmy stopped when they reached the last door at the end of the corridor. Opening one of the beautiful oak paneled doors, Lilly step in and motioned for them to follow. The large bedroom was a pale sage green, to the left of the entrance on the same wall Lilly pointed out the door to the shared bathroom. He would not have to go out in the hall but would just needed to lock the door on the other side if he did not want Jimmy to walk in on him, though for now Jimmy suggested he leave it unlocked incase he needed some assistance.

The whole left wall was covered with floor to ceiling windows and French doors leading out to the courtyard, though it was too cold to utilize at this time of year. Heavy dark green drapes hung on either side and could be closed to provide privacy or block out the light. On the walls were beautiful photographs, Lilly pointed out that she had taken the photos on a trip to visit family in Mexico. She had captured the beauty in the weathered faces of the elders in the pueblo her grandmother was from. Each face told a story of a life hard lived, but the twinkle in the eyes spoke of a joy for living. On the far wall there was a gas fireplace with a big comfortable looking chair placed to take optimal advantage of the fire and the view out the windows. The mantel held pieces of beautiful Navajo pottery. The antique mahogany four-poster queen size bed was on the right wall facing out toward the patio. There were a number of pillows and what appeared to be a handmade quilt in earth tones on the bed. To his tired body the bed looked so inviting. On either side of the bed were matching nightstands, with matching lamps. There was also a large dresser and with his nebulizer sat on it. On one side of the bed was a large dog bed for Fuego.

Lilly pointed out an armor to the right of the entrance, it held a flat screen TV no where as big as the one Tony had in his apartment and cable box, the remote on the nightstand by the bed. The drawers on the lower half filled with clean linens, an extra blanket if he was cold and towels. Getting ready to exit the room, knowing Tony would need time to get settled and rest she said, "I'll be out in the kitchen if you need anything, is there anything special you would like to eat?" Lilly asked as she headed for the door.

Tony shook his head, "No I'm all set for now, thank you again for letting me stay, but right now I just want to try out the bed.

"Tony, its our pleasure to have you here and don't be shy about letting us know what you need, we want you to feel comfortable in our home. Jimmy anything you want?"

Jimmy thought about it for a moment and said, "If its not to much trouble I would love some of the Ropa Vieja, Maria makes." Looking at Tony, he added, "Tony you have to try this dish it's amazing, Maria's grandmother taught her to make it the real Cuban way, it's this flank steak, with onions and peppers and it is so delicious."

Tony had to smile as his friend almost had an orgasm describing this food, he was not feeling very hungry but knew he would have to eat something. "Sounds great, just not sure if I'm up for it, but I can try a little."

"Don't worry, Maria can put that together in no time, and if it's too much for you we have plenty of food and you can have something lighter. Just let me know what I can get for you. If you don't feeling like leaving the room, I put one of the walkie-talkies we use to communicate when one of us is out in the barn or in the fields on the nightstand, I will keep the other one on me and you can just call whenever you needed me. Hope you don't mind a dog in the bed, she has been sleeping with us, though with the three of us it got a little crowded," she said with a giggle, "I have our own dog in barn for now but you'll meet him later and the cats may or may not come out to greet you, they can be a little standoffish. Remember to call if you need anything," she said as she closed the door behind her.

Jimmy turned to his friend and said, "why don't you nap a while, I'll go back to the pharmacy to pick up your meds and anything else you might need."

Tony laid back on the bed and Fuego jumped up beside him. Luckily with a queen size bed there was enough room for both of them. "Ohhh, this bed is so much more comfortable then a hospital bed, can't believe how tired I am already and I haven't really done anything."

"Give your self time Tony, you just got out and you need time to recover."

"I know, but you know how hard it is for me to feel this way, I walk to the bathroom and have to rest, I get dressed and need a nap. God," he said as he started to yawn, "guess I will take a nap."

Jimmy walked over to his friend and helped him get his shoes off and get comfortable, with his casted arm and other injuries. Tony did not want to get under the sheets so Jimmy just covered him with the quilt, the room was warm enough that he did not worry about Tony getting chilled. By the time he was done, Tony was more almost asleep.

Reaching for the door to leave Jimmy looked back and had to chuckle too himself, his best friend had turned over and had draped his casted left arm over the big dog who was tucked in tight next to Tony, their heads side by side on the pillow. For a moment he thought taking a picture on his cell phone, but he knew Tony would be upset and he did would not do anything that would cause his friend pain or embarrassment. Leaving the two sleeping he went to find Maria to beg her into making Ropa Vieja, and may just maybe if he begged hard enough she would make one of her famous cheese flans for desert, he knew Tony would love it, as it was just the perfect blend of creamy sweetness.

**Note:** _**Ropa Vieja is a great Cuban dish, not difficult to make, you can find great recipes online but its flank steak, boiled and shredded, (can boil in beer for a nice flavor), after shredding place in large skillet, with onions, garlic, green peppers and little tomato sauce, serve over white rice, and if you are adventuresome can try to fry plantain bananas. (Green ones Tostones, ripe Maduros) all great yummy food.**_

_**Same-sex marriage was legal on Nov. 12, 2008 in CT, now up to about 17 or 18 states, court in PA recently overturned ban and it is now legal on the East Coast from Maine to Washington DC, Virginia is still not there. Never thought we would get so far in my lifetime. Thanks again to everyone who has taken the time to read.**_

_**Next chapter should be up by the weekend.**_


	13. Part 13

_**A/n: **_

_**Another beautiful weekend in Southern New England, bright sun, clear skies, warm and no humidity. Finished writing this chapter on my new deck. **_

_**As always I don't own any part of NCIS but it is fun to take them out to play, rough them up, fix them up and eventually put them back. LOL**_

_**Thank you to my wife for proofreading but all errors are mine as I am constantly revising my work.**_

_**A huge Abby Hug, to all of you who have taken time to read, review, follow and fav. I am incredibly humbled and honored by the comments you have left me. So again, **__**Thank You**__** all so very much. LAG**_

_**Chapter 19**_

_Tony worked the crime scene, systematically photographing the area, the team stood a short distance away he could see them but could not hear what they were saying. He turned away when movement in some nearby trees caught his attention, turning back to alert the team, Tony found himself alone with the body; the team was nowhere to be seen. Looking frantically around and calling for Gibbs, he found that he was alone. Turning again he was now standing in a dark forest, everywhere he looked it appeared that there were eyes watching him. He was totally alone and exposed. A pack of wolves came slowly out of the trees, circling around him. He was surrounded with no cover. He could not watch them all, as they were everywhere. Reaching for his weapon he found that his holster was empty. He felt them closing in but he had nothing to defend himself with, the camera he had been holding was gone. Suddenly a huge male stood in front of him, snarling, he seemed ready to attack. Tony's heart was pounding and as the big wolf leaped, Tony felt a scream leave his throat. _

Tony woke with a start, sitting up quickly, his heart racing and sweat running down his neck. His breathing was labored as he used his stomach muscles to draw in large gasps of air. Disoriented he looked around the strange room, struggling to remember where he was; his body ached from the rapid movement. A wet nose poked at his side as Fuego looked at him with what appeared to be concern, in her eyes. Lying back down, he drew in deep breaths as he tried to calm his racing heart. Fuego laid her head on his stomach and he gently stroked her big head. Tony knew it was a dream but it had felt so real, he could feel the big teeth sinking into him again.

As he settled down he looked around the room again, Jimmy must have come in while he was asleep as it was dark outside and the light that sat on the dresser cast a soft glow. Turning toward the nightstand he noted a glass of water and his medications. He had been so tired he had not heard his friend come and go. It also appeared that Fuego had not left his side, feeling the pressure on his bladder, he sat up slowly to avoid the dizziness that accompanied a rapid shift in position, once he felt stable enough he worked his way to the bathroom but did not bother to shut the door while he took care of business and rinsed his face as best he could with one arm. Fuego watched him carefully from her position on the bed. Taking the medication left out for him, he felt a rumble in his stomach, his nose picked up the scent of something cooking in the kitchen and it smelled delicious. Grabbing his cane he made his way to the door, Fuego leaped off the bed and followed him out, staying close to him but careful not to trip him up.

As he neared the kitchen he could hear the voices of quiet conversation with an occasional stifled giggle. Entering he took in the sight before him. Jimmy sat at the kitchen table, his books from medical school spread out around him. Maria was standing at the large commercial stove, stirring something in a large skillet, the wonderful smells filling the room. Lily stood behind Maria and with her arms wrapped around her wife, kissing her neck and whispering something in her ear that made Maria smile and turn to kiss her gently on the lips.

"Ahem…Ladies we have company," Jimmy said as he spotted Tony and Fuego standing in the doorway.

Pulling away from her wife, Lilly blushed, "Sorry, Maria and I are pretty touchy feelly with each other, come on in sit down, dinner is almost ready." She said indicating to a chair around the table. "Fuego's welcome too, since she has been here we found that she will just lie at your feet but does not beg, that is if that is ok with you."

Tony smiled down at the big dog, "Yeah, that fine, I like her close." He said as he sat next to Jimmy.

"Jimmy, if you want to put your books away, I'll get the table set as dinner is almost ready."

"No worries, Lilly, ahm, Maria thanks for making the Ropa Vieja," gathering his books he said, "Tony you are going to love it, hey did you take your meds I left them on the nightstand."

"Yes Mama Jim, I took them," he said smiling at his friend, "I took them, guess I was pretty tired, never heard you come in."

"You were pretty zonked out, Fuego watched me but she never left your side, when do you need to do your nebulizer treatment?"

"I can do it after we eat, I had one in the hospital this morning and have to do them twice a day." Making a face as he said this.

"I know, not the most pleasant thing to do, but its not that bad."

"Easy for you to say, your not the one who has to do them," Tony responded, punching Jimmy lightly on the arm.

Both men laughed which made Tony cough but he recovered quickly.

From the stove, Maria called out, "Not sure what you wanted to do tonight Tony, but Jimmy mentioned that you like movies, in the family room we have a nice wide screen TV, Blue ray player and a small selection of movies. Since we can just get pretty much what we want from the cable company or one of the other services we just don't usually buy them."

After quickly clearing the table of his books, Jimmy helped Lilly set the table. Tony noted how different this house was from his and Gibbs' homes. In his apartment he had in many ways reproduced the environment he grew up in, it looked like something from a magazine setup, but there was nothing personal about it. Gibbs' home was functional utilitarian, shabby without the chic. From what he had seen so far of this home it was a clear reflection of the two women who lived here, it was warm, inviting and not decorated to impress or be functional and utilitarian but an expression of who they were. There was wide use of color, as he had not seen one white wall yet. The artwork looked original but was more handcrafted folk art that fit with the warm of the home. As the plates were placed on the table, he noted that even these did not match.

Giving him a gentle smile, Lilly noticed Tony looking at the plates, "You won't find much that matches here, we have eclectic taste, the folk art we picked up on different trips, especially from New Mexico, Mexico and Cuba, Maria went back a few years ago to visit family, she came back with some nice pieces."

"Clear the way, food is on,' Maria called out as she walked to the table with the large skillet, "I can hold this while you serve yourself," she said to Tony, "the rest of you can serve yourselves at the stove."

"Hey, how come he gets served at the table," Jimmy said, with a pretend, indignant sound to his voice.

"Because, Jimmy, my sweet," Maria said, "Tony has a bum wing and needs a little TLC right now and you are a strapping young man who can get his own food from the stove." Sticking her tongue out at Jimmy and laughing as she went back to the stove. Grabbing his plate, Jimmy followed.

Tony served himself a small amount of the meat dish and rice, "Just eat what you can," Maria said, turning away she grabbed a metal bowl off the floor, waving it around she said, "dinner time for Fuego too." And after putting in two cups of dry food she set it back down. Fuego was instantly on her feet. Tony smiled as she ate her food with gusto and it was amazing how quickly it was all gone.

Jimmy and Lilly sat down with their plates, Maria joined them placing a plate with what appeared to be round chips. "Oh, Maria I love you," Jimmy said, "Tostones, Tony do you know what these are?"

"Yeah, actually I do, fried plantains, I used to get them at a Chinese restaurant." Tony responded.

"You know I always find it a little strange that they serve these at some Chinese restaurants but these look delicious," picking up two he placed them on his plate.

Tony was able to eat about half the food on his plate the Ropa Vieja he discovered was made of boiled flank steak that was shredded and then cooked with onions, peppers and tomato sauce, usually served with white rice, the tostones as Maria had explained were plantains cut to disks, fried once, smashed flat and refried, with a little salt and served with a mojito, a sauce made of lemon juice garlic and olive oil, they were delicious and he found himself eating several more. Maria told him that there was always individual variety on how the dish was prepared but she did it her grandmother's way.

As Lilly started to pick up the dishes, Maria said, "are you up to seeing the rest of the house, I don't think you got much of tour earlier. We can wait to show you the yard and barn tomorrow."

"Would be nice to know the rest of the lay out," he said.

"Ok, its not that big a house, Honey, you got the kitchen," Maria said as she gave her wife a peck on the cheek, leading them out of the kitchen they walked in a hall way that lead to a foyer with a staircase leading to the upper level. "This is the main entrance that we rarely use, the our bedroom is upstairs and we have an other guest room upstairs, guess we can forego that part of the house of now."

Five minutes later they found themselves in a large family room with some comfortable recliners and a large sectional sofa. The walls painted a soft grey. The room also had French doors that opened out into the courtyard and was situated across from Tony's room as the house formed a horseshoe around the central courtyard. Heavy curtains in a dark grey could be used to darken the room. A large wall mounted flat screen TV was located opposite of the seating area. The other rooms on this floor had consisted of a dinning room and more formal living that Maria indicated was a waste of space as they hardly used them and a small office. Fuego had remained silent by Tony's side during the tour, it was clear that she did not want to be far from him.

"This is a beautiful house, Maria," Tony said.

"Thank you, we love it. We were lucky to find this property, it had been on the market for a while, was a little run down, but we fell in love with it as soon as we saw it, took us about a year to get it fixed up. There is a small guesthouse out back but we have not even tackled that."

The trio made themselves comfortable, and waited for Lilly to finish in the kitchen, "So what will it be tonight." She said as she entered the room.

"Tony are you in the mood for a comedy, drama, whatever you pick, Jimmy told us you are quite the move aficionado," Maria said.

"I think that I've had enough drama for now how about a comedy," Tony responded.

"Lilly before you sit, can you put the movie in, we have a copy of _Some Like it Hot_, would that suite you Tony."

"God yes, I love that movie, I don't think I've seen it in years. Released 1959, directed by Billy Wilder and starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemon, its such a classic."

"See what I mean, this man is a walking moviepedia," Jimmy said as he gave his friend a huge grin.

At about 9:20 the credits rolled on the screen, Tony had fallen asleep on the sectional sofa with his head on Jimmy's lap and Fuego on the floor by his side. Jimmy looked down at his friend, he knew that theirs was an unlikely friendship, but they had become as close as brothers. Jimmy knew that Tony had few close friends, for as friendly and out-going, as he appeared he was really very introverted. Gently shaking his friend awake, Jimmy said, "Tony come on wake up, you fell asleep."

Pushing himself into a sitting position while yawning, he looked at Jimmy with sleep heavy eyes, "Damn I missed the end, I always love that scene in the boat where Osgood, asks Jerry to marry him. Jerry pulls off his wig and says '_But you don't understand Osgood! I'm a man!_' and Osgood says '_Well nobody's perfect'_."

From across the room, Lilly said, "that's always been my favorite part too, I remember watching this as a kid and wondering why two men could not get married, in this movie the two just seemed to fit, nice we can now get married in some states," smiling at Maria she reached out and kissed her wife's hand.

Maria getting up from the recliner said, "Guys if you want to go do your treatment and get ready for bed, I can take Fuego out for her last pee, since I want to get our dog Max, the Mutt Man from the barn."

Jimmy helped Tony get ready for bed and set up the nebulizer. "You really should use this earlier in the evening Tony, it can interfere with your sleep."

"I'm so tired Jimmy, I don't think anything will keep me from falling asleep, though I had a nightmare when I took a nap earlier," he confided in his friend.

"What was it about?"

"I don't really remember all the details, some of it is just a big blur, but I working a crime scene with the team, then I found myself alone in the woods, you know how you jump from place to another in dreams. There were some wolves, then I was attacked, I'm surprised you didn't hear me scream in the kitchen, but my heart was racing when I woke up."

"I know dreams can seem so real, Tony it sounds like a pretty normal reaction for what you went through, your mind is still trying to process everything and it was pretty traumatic."

"I'm kind of afraid to go to sleep, I'm worried I'll have another nightmare."

"Did you have them in the hospital?"

"A few, but I was on so many meds, that I don't remember half my time in there."

"Would it help to keep the bathroom doors open, we can shut them when we need the bathroom but if I hear you I can come in and wake you up."

"Not sure if will help, but we can try and Fuego will be here with me," Tony said as he looked down at the big dog, Maria had let her into his room after she had finished outside.

"Tony, have you thought about speaking to a therapist," Jimmy asked with concern for his friend in his voice.

"No, I don't need that," Tony responded irritated at thought of going to speak with someone.

"I'm not going to push Tony, but I was thinking with everything that has happened in the past couple of years, it might be good for you to have someone to talk to, hash out your feelings."

"I don't Jimmy, going to have to sleep on that."

"Well, if you decide to meet with someone, I can ask Lilly if she knows someone, I know she doesn't do therapy but she may know someone.

Jimmy headed back to his room; Tony lay back against the pillows, Fuego curled up in her spot next to him. Tomorrow he wanted to check-in with Ducky, get an update on the scuttlebutt at the navy yard and he was going to call Director Vance, he wasn't surprised that the Toothpick had not called to check in on him, but he wanted to request an extended leave of absence, he would be on medical leave until he was cleared to return to work but he wanted more time to explore his options, decide on his future. Tony knew the law and what he was entitled to and he was sure going to get it.

**Note: **_**Some Like It Hot;**_** I have not seen it in years, but on my list of favorites. Directed by Oscar Wilde, released in 1959, Marilyn Monroe as Sugar Kane Kowalczyk, Tony Curtis as Joe/Josephine, Jack Lemon as Jerry/Daphne, Joe E. Brown as Osgood Fielding III. If you ever get a chance worth watching. LAG**


End file.
